


Forget The Rails, I Can't Find The Train!

by NotAHero101



Category: Bleach
Genre: Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2020-11-22 15:38:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 39
Words: 82,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20876612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotAHero101/pseuds/NotAHero101
Summary: Something's wrong with Aizen, absolute chaos ensues. Brace yourselves for realm sized retcons and a derailing unlike any other.





	1. Ch1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now has a Tvtropes page!
> 
> https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/ForgetTheRailsICantFindTheTrain

**Author Notes: If you squint hard enough, you can see Urahara Kisuke laughing his ass off. **

...

The butterfly theory dictates that even the smallest of changes can have the most devastating of effects. Which essentially, given my current position, means that I and by extension the rest of the world, are already fucked.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

Our story started about three hours ago, see I was just having a marvellous day out fishing with a few friends before a tsunami literally came out of thin air and killed all of them. Given the state of mind during that outing, I am _somewhat _skeptical...  
All the same I wasn't given much time to ponder the nature of the killer tsunami as I was given the pleasure of a unique end by shark teeth. Who, given the world I am currently in, I am just going to assume was really Harribel in _disguise_.

Anyways, following my involuntary meeting with the third Espada, I found myself drifting off in a black void of nothingness which at first took me off guard as I'd momentarily accepted that there was indeed a god and I was on my journey towards Hell.

Que an emotional breakdown.

Then a face popped into existence in front of me and as much as I'd like to say I didn't scream like a girl, I'd be a massive liar.

But then you can hardly blame me.

Jack Nicholson's face is going to do that to _anybody.  
_  
Long story short, after pretending to be the devil for a solid two hours the asshole inside finally showed himself.

Surprise Surprise, it was an utter dic-

Really need to stop swearing, I've been knocked out like three times in the past hour. Not that anyone would've noticed me. I was currently hidden in my private chambers, stacks of books around me, though I couldn't tear my face away from the mirror. I'd been like this since I'd gotten here.

But I am getting ahead of myself, again.

The ROB did what a ROB do and promptly broke all kinds of laws and physics out of sheer curiosity. See, just after he'd summoned Harribel for a free meal, and no matter how much that bastard might deny it, deep down I _know_ it was him, he asked me a single question.

Who was my favourite character?

And been the idiot that I am, I told him the truth.

And ever since, I'v been sitting here crosslegged, staring ahead at the image in the mirror. Wondering what the hell I was going to do.

Because no matter what happens, this world is _screwed_.

_Everything is screwed_.

See, I knew exactly what time period I'd shown up to, the ROB made it clear enough.

Moments _after_ Ichigo first arrives at Soul Society.

And again you might be wondering why that sounds so bad? Considering I was basically gift-wrapped the P2W package what with been a _captain_, and on top of that _Canon was already _in progress taking a majority of potential risks out, as compared to being born decades before canon even started, right?

Wrong.

The ROB had evidently decided that I should get a chance to get to know my favourite character.

The only problem with that being said favourite character.

And because of that, every breath I take is a cyclone waiting to happen. By the end of this year, I expect Yhwach to be running about playing protagonist.

Hell, the last three hours alone have probably sent canon on it's merry way already.

And why?

Because the only way to get to know my favourite character is by becoming the one person he respected more than anyone else. Assuming there was an anyone else.

I never thought I'd see the day where I'd resent Ulquiorra for anything but being thrown into Aizen fucking Sosuke's body is one hell of a sucker punch.

...

It wasn't until I left Aizen's? My? Personal chambers that I noticed a rather _heavy_ presence surrounding me. It'd taken me a few minutes to realise it was coming from my _sword._

Quickly removing it out of it's sheath, I stared at what was likely the most _broken_ weapon in existence.

And I didn't have a single clue how it worked.

Sure I had Aizen's memories-

"Captain!" A shout startled me out of my revelry, I quickly turned towards the voice, finding a rather bland looking reaper heading inside the barracks. A hand waving my way.

Apparently he just wanted to give me a greeting. Though he seemed oddly out of breath.

Neat. So Aizen hadn't betrayed everyone yet.

The ROB wasn't lying...

I quickly took a seat on the floor, sure it probably looked weird, but whatever. The first problem I realised was likely going to be the fact I had absolutely no idea how Aizen's powers functioned. See, I know that deep down, I had memories of him when he practiced/learnt them but... Well.

Dude was a _prodigy_, that... Those memories were _centuries_ old. And so, rather difficult to make any sense off.

Either that or Aizen's memories were encrypted... Given who it is, I wouldn't be surprised if he set some kind of mental barrier incase he got possessed or something. Kinda like right now actually.

Aizen's plans on the other hand, were clear as day.

I think.

Sort of.

I am fairly confident I've remembered _everything_ I need to regarding the soul society rescue arc...

We'll see.

Still, I had no clue how to use any of his abilities and until I figured it out, I needed some kinda excuse to not been able to fight...

Second problem. My sword, Sir Hax-alot was glowing. Now, I wasn't an expert but I am pretty sure that's a clear sign of Aizen-my _Reiatsu_ or whatever it's called being used, at the same time I could practically feel the rest of the man's reiatsu expand out, almost hungrily. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to pull it back in. And I am pretty sure Fake Aizen's level isn't supposed to be that high. So he likely had a way to hide it. Well enough to get people to think he was _far_ weaker then he really was.

But again.

I don't know how to turn either off!

Whatever the stupid sword is currently doing seems important enough for it to be a giant bloody glow stick.

I wracked my own head trying to figure out if at any point Aizen showed off so much power openly because I am almost certain he couldn't keep this hidden...

I am pretty sure it's a sign that his Illusion abilities in effect but for the life of me I can't figure out why.

Still, it didn't compare to my third problem, and likely the biggest one.

Ichimaru Gin.

And I am the lucky bastard he wants to stab in the back and likely every other place he can get his hands on.

Joy.

And as if to mock me, someone at that very moment had the nerve to start screaming. Now, either Aizen had maxed out hearing or that was really close by...

Regardless, the scream was probably part of the plot, I might aswell-

I blinked, my eyes wide open at the sudden change in scenery...

Holy shit...

I staggered as I turned around, my gaze rapidly switching around at the new environment, the screaming girl in front of me.

Holy. Shit.

What the hell was this bastards dexterity!?

Did I use a spell? Did I teleport? Was that flash step!?

What the hell! The moment I _wanted_ to do something, my body_ automatically_ responded... Not a single beat skipp-

'Gasp' The sudden sound drew me out of my awe at the sheer power the body I was currently renting _held, _to the sight of a girl wearing the standard leutenant outfit, a ribbon wrapped around her hair-

Ah it's 'my' Leutenant!

I blinked.

Why was she crying? And what was with the shocked expression. It was then I started noticing the others slowly coming into view, all of them with clear disbelief writ over their faces...

Was it the power? Was it really that hig- My mind screeched to a holt the moment my eyes landed on the fake body currently impaled onto a white building.

Right behind me.

This litarally couldn't get any worse.

"Aizen-Taichou..."

I held in the sigh. I had absolutely no idea how honorifics even worked...

"Hello, Momo..." I really hope that's her name.

She blinked away the tears as others quickly enclosed in, though none of them seemed willing to interrupt.

Bastards.

"How..?" She made to turn back towards something behind me before flinching and keeping her gaze locked onto mine.

"I..." Think... Comeon, you're Aizen fucking Sosuke, think of a goddamn excuse-

"I am from the future,"

Well.

Atleast she stopped crying.

"What?" She questioned, an utterly baffled expression on her face.

It was then I noticed it. The sudden flaring of a pressure unlike any other. I had to hold back the wince as the temperature seemed to _skyrocket _as an almost immovable fortress of Reiatsu appeared between me and 'my' lieutenant and the body nailed to the wall.

"Huh... And I thought Gin would be the death of me, forgot about you completely!"

I probably shouldn't have said that out loud. Yamamoto did not look remotely amused.

Those Shinigami probably shouldn't have laughed either.

...

**Don't forget to leave feedback!**


	2. Gin Interlude

**Feedback is love, feedback is crac-life. I meant life.**

...

Ichimaru Gin was a patient man, and thankfully, there wasn't a single soul alive who would believe such an outlandish claim.

That suited him perfectly. It allowed him to disappear in the shadows, allowed him to get away with murder so long as he made it complicated. So long as he made it tiring. And people would buy it in the end.

Why?

Because Ichimaru Gin didn't spend time planning out murders. He didn't waste time agonising over unnecessary drawbacks.

If he wanted someone dead. That person wouldn't make it to afternoon tea.

It wasn't particularly hard to establish such an image. Not truly. All it took was a simple _gruesome_ murder, with him as it's only suspect. A simple motive, a simple death.

Everyone knew he did it. Everyone and their dog did.

But without proof. It all meant nothing. Except one thing. One little white lie that would manifest itself over decades, set to grow into a storm that would shake Soul Society down to it's very core. A storm nurtured and protected by Aizen Sosuke. A storm created for the sole true purpose of killing him. Of course he didn't know that part. Even Aizen, as smart as he was, couldn't see past the facade. Even he believed him to be an impatient man, who would rather kill first and plan later. And the best part was, _creating _that had been easier as compared to his role in Soul Society. Because Aizen Sosuke was also an arrogant man, and because he _planned_ _out everything_, the idea that _Ichimaru Gin_ could also make such time-consuming, such long-term plans, simply never crossed his mind.

_Ichimaru Gin was an impatient person_, incapable of holding his anger back long enough to make a complicated plan.

And _everyone_ believed it.

And because of that he'd never seen it coming.

He kept his position hidden, his expression clear, his eyes open and narrowed as his mind ran a thousand miles a minute. Wondering why Aizen, the man who'd spent _years_ planning out this very event, this very moment, only to abruptly change it at the last second.

What had he discovered in his private chambers. What could've happened in the past three hours that would cause such an ominous reaction... For the man had not only decided to back out of their decades old work but had even decided to showcase his true power, to get rid of the protective veil that helped conceal his true nature!

A century old image destroyed with a single action.

And for what?

And then he heard it.

That absolutely ridiculous sentence.

A lie as clear as water.

"I am from the future,"

Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous.

And then he took in the man who spoke those words.

The man who had forever _scarred_ the shinigami and hollow worlds with naught but his mind.

The man closest to doing the impossible.

But even still. Time-travel was pushing it. For if he had access to such power he would've long since either taken over both worlds, or destroyed them.  
But even he could not shake the doubt that clouded his mind, the soft simple whispered words coursing through.

_But what if it's true?_  
  
He shook his head, the man was powerful yes, but he wasn't _that _powerful, he idly glanced towards the approaching captain commander. And then the final bomb dropped.

_"Huh... And I thought Gin would be the death of me-" _He didn't even hear the rest of the sentence, the simple words shattering his hopes completely. Dread filled him as his eyes widened. He idly wondered if this was how _that_ _man_ had felt when he'd realised the end was coming. When he'd realised he could never return to Soul Society. And then he snorted as he himself realised that such words explained far more then one person.

And just like all of them. He never saw it coming.  
_  
Ichimaru Gin was a patient man, and Aizen Sosuke knew it._

Still, it was rather stupid of him to not _notice_ it sooner. After all, the small little white lie that had originated out of his first _cold-blooded _kill. A kill, unsurprisingly enough, orchestrated by Aizen.  
He'd gotten away with it because they were missing evidence. Evidence they would never find because they failed to truly understand how his Zanpakuto worked, even Aizen himself had been surprised. Even Aizen hadn't been able to figure out how he'd managed to avoid leaving a hint of evidence.

It had been stupid of him not to see it. How could he miss the blatant similarities. For he had unwittingly committed the exact same murder. Albiet this time, he'd needn't bothered hiding the evidence considering their plans to leave. He had unwittingly handed Aizen the very evidence he'd needed.

And then he'd seen it, the glimpse of insanity that filled the fifth captain's mind. Seen it all for the masterstroke it truly was...

_From the future..._ His outlandish claim allowed him to exist following his 'present' selfs murder. It allowed him to showcase his power for what it truly was, without fear.

The false murder would be used against him. The similarities would allow Aizen to bring up his previous murders. And when that happened. Gin Ichimaru held in the shake that threatened to erupt. His life would be over. His chance at revenge taken from him.

His control over the Espada allowed him to coordinate attacks. After claiming them as evidence of their future...

And when his word became law.

Gin ignored the shiver that went down his spine.

He'd made one mistake. He'd shown himself too soon. Had he gone straight to Yamamoto instead and made his claim in private, without him knowing, he would've won.  
He still had one card left. Perhaps two, depending on Tosen, that he could play. None but him and Tosen knew of Aizen's true Shikai-

Gin immediately narrowed his eyes, holding the thought. Both cards... Depended on Aizen making a rookie mistake...

Aizen doesn't make rookie mistakes.

He turned his gaze back towards the scene, his reiatsu as shrouded as he could make.

_What exactly was he playing at... What could he see that shrouds the rest... _Oddly enough_, _even with the situation at hand, Gin Ichimaru felt tempted to laugh.

You'd think... Having spent decades, if not centuries with the _damn_ guy, you'd think one would know him. And yet as he stared ahead, the temptation to laugh rising, he found himself absolutely clueless. As he stared at the _monster_ before him. He felt his legs shake at the sheer thought process that could be running through the megalomaniacs mind. For what kind of mind could create such a plan.

_Insanity_, plain and simple insanity.

And for the first time in his life, he felt his conviction waver.

He'd known Aizen would be a powerful opponent to kill... But this?

How was he supposed to compete against that.

Within a matter of moments, when he'd least expected, the chessboard had suddenly flipped...

Within a matter of moments he'd found himself in a _desperate_ position. He felt himself shake as he stared at the monster that could destroy him with but a single word.

_The damn bastard has the nerve to do it with a smile on his face... As if it were a simple game for him. A game the rest of the world was destined to lose..._  
  
For once... He found himself unable to scoff at the thought. Deep down, even knowing the things he'd done in the mans name, he'd always held out hope. The singular hope that as long as he was alive, the world had a small chance at taking down the monster. Sure he didn't do it for any noble reasons but the fact was he'd always considered himself as the very last wall that stood between Aizen and his victory...

Today he found out just how fragile that wall really was.


	3. Ch2

**...  
**

I am going to do something stupid.

I kept the smile on my face as I eyed the approaching commander, evidently he seemed to be on edge, his gaze seemed to be giving me a look over. An Appraisal of sorts.

Fingers crossed I pass.

I tilted my head forward the moment he stopped walking towards me, earning a stiff nod in return.

"Aizen-" Crap, I wasn't sure if him calling me by my name alone was bad or not... "What is the meaning of this?" He questioned, a single finger raised. Pointed towards the fake corpse nailed to the wall behind him.

I coughed, my eyes momentarily looking over around us, taking in the audience of Shinigami. Searching out through the sea of fodde- Fellow colleagues!

I am pretty sure Aizen's rubbing off on me.

I spotted one or two captains in the background likely keeping a look out.

"Momo-"

"Captain Hitsugaya," The commanders voice froze the ice-wielding captain on his feet. It took a moment before the younger captain nodded stifly before taking a few steps back, his posture straight.

I'd barely even noticed him show up! I am rather glad I'd managed to keep my face passive.

When I turned back towards the commander, intent on saying something. His eyes seemed to narrow the slightest before he gave me another stiff nod.

Did... Did I accidentally agree to something?

"My office will do," He stated passively, the old man reaching a hand out towards me.

"Ah! A moment!" I stated suddenly, earning a raised eyebrow in the process.

Remember when I said I was going to do something stupid?

"I just need to make sure of something first!" I stated quickly as I drew my, still glowing, blade.

The commander, oddly enough seemed to _relax_ a tad the moment he saw the blade. As if it proved something.

Cool.

Now let's see if my blade thinks I am amicable enough to listen to.

I am fairly certain I messed that sentence up _somehow._

"Shatter! Kyoka Suigetsu!" The blade hummed for a moment before I felt it. It was slight, almost subtle. But there was definitely a spike. My eyes had automatically snapped to it, the smile still on my face. The spike of reiatsu was familiar. _Very_familiar. It proved two things. The first was that, given _Ichimaru Gin's_ reaction I am fairly certain that I'd successfully used Aizen's Shikai.

Yup.

I was _so_ going to abuse this.

Once I figured out how the rest of the ability worked. Activating it was one thing, warping perspectives was another.

The second thing was, Aizen definitely did something to his body. What it was, I wasn't sure, but there was something off about it. Hell, I'd managed to _recognise_ a reiatsu spike! Or my body reacted to it? The best way to explain it would be... Imagine if you could feel thousands of different ribbons floating aimlessly at you of varying sizes. A reiatsu spike felt like one of them took steroids. A _familiar_ reiatsu spike felt like that same 'rioded ribbon crashed into your face. And given there was really only one person who cared enough to react the way he did makes it rather obvious.

I've been in this man's body for 3 hours and I already feel like my iq's tripled...

It _automatically_ responded to what I urged it. Either so long as I had a general idea of what it was, or the more likely reason so long as Aizen had himself done it before. Meaning this body was _actively_ making up for the fact I am not it's original owner.

Sure I may have not been allowed any of his memories and secrets, but that didn't mean he'd leave his body defenceless either. Still, it was rather odd that the blade would so readily take me in and listen.

It had to know _I _wasn't really Aizen. Right?

The effect was immediate, my surroundings whistled as the blades energy filled the clearing of Shinigami. Yamamoto didn't make a single reaction, though the moment the fake body shattered, his back quickly turned on the spot. And as every eye turned towards the now-missing cadaver I found my focus turn hazy for just a moment as a voice, neigh, an _answer_ filtered itself into my head. With the blade's glow itself finally disappearing.

It was honestly the most depressing thing I've ever heard.

It helped tell me something else.

Zanpakuto's probably _grew_ with their wielders.

I am fairly certain that voice belonged to Aizen's one.

_You smiled,_ The childlike voice uttered, almost passively, as if it expected no response.

I turned my gaze back towards the captain commander. I could see Momo, a few feet behind him, someone having likely moved her, trying to sneak a look past him, likely at me. The man himself took a moment to look over the sword currently stabbed into the wall. Before he whispered a few words to his Lieutenant. Before doing the same to the second, much shorter, captain beside him.

When his gaze turned back towards me, plain curiosity, and _something_ else shining out of them. I immediately fixed my posture, somewhat surprised at the action. Though the old man had lowered the heavy pressure from earlier, it hadn't disappeared entirely, if anything it felt... _More focused_.

I wasn't sure if that was scarier or not.

"I'll explain when we reach your office," I stated, my mood somewhat soured, as clouds of bemusement filled every spectators eyes. Atleast I'd managed to buy myself some time, and effectively put atleast 3 captains under my shikai's effect. And meet said shikai.

Now if I could just manage to keep my mouth shut for the rest of the way-

"I will say this, the Aizen you knew disappeared approximately four hours ago,"

I hate my brain sometimes.

That was when Yamamoto _suddenly_ put his hand on my wrist, a brief wave of dust swirled behind him as he covered the distance in less then a second, and gripped it with enough strength to leave a mark.

"Let's hope this one doesn't disappear as well,"

Dude's got a sense of humour. I can work with that. Though I probably shouldn't call him that.

And with that the two of us, and only the two of us, quickly disappeared from the clearing, before anyone could so much as raise an eyebrow.


	4. Ch3

It was instant, the speed Yamamoto could manage to move at was almost mind-boggling.

He was faster then me!

I don't really know how I knew but it came to me almost instinctively. As if the fact was never in contention. I blinked as I took in our destination. Yamamoto released my hand immediately, and then almost faster then I could see, took a few steps back.

His posture was straight and frankly he looked ready to kill.

So the amicable atmosphere earlier was an act?

Damn. And I thought he had a sense of humour...

Still, he didn't do anything, no he simply stood there waiting for my reaction. Both his of hands were crossed. Though I knew, if I did anything remotely wrong, I was likely going to be introduced to his Zanpakuto. I wonder if he even heard me mention the fact I was a time traveler.  
He probably did all things considered.

Naturally, that meant I could only do one thing.

I slacked my shoulders, plastered a smile on my face and whistled as I took in the place.

His reaction was priceless.

His long white eyebrow twitched, wriggling towards the end as he closed his eyes.

"This place really is as big as I remember... I always wondered why you had such a huge room set up as your office,"

Mine could barely fit in all of Aizen's books.

No wonder he went rogue and created his own empire.

I crossed my own arms as I turned around on the spot wondering if I could actually read Japanese. I could've sworn the room had long white sheet of, what I assumed was, calligraphy written at the centre, just behind where Yamamoto sat during captain meetings. To my surprise I found I could actually understand the words.

Neat. I wonder how many languages Aizen knows...

"It gives me more room to punish unruly brats," I suddenly turned my neck as I heard him speak, giving Yamamoto an amused look at the words.

"Am I one of them?" I questioned cheekily.

He gave me a stony look.

"Oh," the rest of my body quickly turned on the spot, my legs crossing themselves, and to my own shook, I started levitating, once again, my body automatically acquired to my need, no... Something tells me it was going above and beyond... Almost as if it was trying to predict my needs? But why it was doing this now instead of earlier, when I'd literally blown canon to hell... I wasn't sure. Maybe it had something to do with Yamamoto flaring his reiatsu at me. Who knows.

Remember earlier when I said I was going to do something stupid.

I think that's going to be happening quite a few times.

Because I just had the most brilliant idea. I just figured out how to win.

I could almost feel the fear that filled the air.

Was someone reading my mind? I think someone's reading my mind.

Either that or I am grinning way too much.

Yamamoto seemed to tense, his reiatsu surprisingly enough shrinking. Almost concentrating-

Ah shit, I quickly put my hands up, though the grin never left my face. "I told you I'd explain right?"

He blinked once, his expression utterly blank.

"You show up in the middle of Soul Society, following the sighting of your own dead body, with a reiatsu level at the very least twice what it was. You show absolutely no reaction to the speed which we moved at," His eyes seemed to narrow at this point, almost as if it somehow hurt him that I wasn't surprised. "And though your Zanpakuto has not changed, it's abilitiesseem to. Getting rid of any evidence-" He stopped speaking. His reiatsu once again flaring, his earlier expression of exasperation plain.

I'd held my finger up.

"Someone changed it for me,"

My words, surprisingly caught him off guard.

"As I told my lieutenant, I am from the future, I had to have it change. I released it in order to fix any temporal anomalies. I will need to do that with every person I come into contact with, and before you ask, my bankai is my ticket back home," I said, almost rapidly, in a single breath. My mind slowly drifted off wondering if I even needed to breath...

Yamamoto blinked once before he simply copied my earlier stance and started levitating as he crossed his legs and arms.

Why this gesture seemed to make my body scream at me to run, I wasn't sure. I think he was taking me seriously... But for some reason I felt like I was taking a test.

A test that could very well end in my dea-

Oh, yeah I can see why now.

He blinked again, and spoke.

"Someone changed it for you?"

I nodded and quickly opened my mouth. "Don't ask me who," I forgot her name, "They warned me it'd be a bad idea to say their names," I am one hundred percent sure Aizen's ability to lie is working overtime. Because, damn that is a hard glare to take.

"You willingly changed your blade?"

Thank god? Me? Him? He accepted that.

"It was either that, or fight him," I emphasised the last word as I stared at him, eye to eye.

It was then and there I caught it. His first true and utterly genuine reaction. A reaction that seemed to cut the tension that had filled my body completely.

Absolute shock filled the Captain-commander's face for a single second. Though it felt like an entire lifetime.

"What happened?" He questioned passively. His eyes grim as he took me in completely.

I gave him a toothy smile, my body almost recoiling at the action, evidently not agreeing.

"You're not going to like that answer,"

Something flashed in his eyes before, to my own confusion, he nodded stiffly and did something that made the air around us feel heavy.

"None will hear, now tell me what happened?" He almost seemed to growl, the tension from earlier reappearing. I think I need to be a little more serious... All things considered. It's not exactly pretty picture.

So someone was listening in? Really hope it wasn't Gin but knowing my luck...

Still wonder what he thought of everything. Probably a little confused. Though I doubt he'll take any of these plans in a bad light. Probably thinks I am someone else anyway. Aizen can't possibly be this reckless- Who am I kidding. This stupid.

Whatever I had an advantage no one else did.

"Well?"

The word took me out of my thoughts, bringing my gaze back on a- Wow he's showing a lot of emotion. The man was outright glaring at me.

I sighed, a withdrawn look on my face. "I wasn't kidding, you're really not going to like it,"

"Brat-"

I palmed the fabric of my cloak, grasping my captains badge, somewhat surprisingly, easily tearing it and only it off, before momentarily willing, rather hoping, it set itself on fire. Showcasing the burning badge, surprised at the lack of pain from my hand, to the captain-commander.

"Like I said earlier, it's best not to say anything dangerous, but this?" I looked over towards the, surprisingly enough, still burning badge. Evidently my body, or rather more likely my Zanpakuto, understood what I'd wanted.

Kid was really smart. Though he/she was centuries older...

"Is basically the least problematic thing to happen,"

And with that, Yamamoto evidently declared I passed.

I think he was using some kind of skill to make me tell the truth, or attest urge me too? As it felt like a veil had been lifted with the way the reiatsu had disappeared.

No wonder Aizen's body was shitting itself.

"Do you know what to do? Or did you come back empty-handed? We'll get to the case on your past selves death and why you seem to be wearing the exactsame cloak I saw on him earlier," Definitely didn't consider that... Wow... I can't believe I almost died because of a cloak... "'But for now I want you to bring up every time sensitive threat in the future that you can declare safely," He finished, the word safely definitely referring to more then future threats... And to my own mounting surprise, flashed a smile, a smile that didn't even last a second, having almost missed it myself.

For some reason, I don't feel like I am out of the woods...

"In the mean time... It seems a couple- Someone is waiting for you outside," He declared breaking the sudden calm. "Perhaps you ought to hide your progress next time, I will be holding a captains meeting within the hour, you have until then to prepare adequately,"

So, evidently, the potential of a screwed up future was enough to give me this much of a chance?

Neat.

I was just about to head off outside before I suddenly remembered a rather pressing fact...

"For the foreseeable future, I would rather not use any abilities, time-travel comes with it's own risks,"

His eyes seemed to narrow at that, "And when do you think you'll be capable again?"

I blinked, "I'll let you know,"

He twitched again.

I felt proud.

Then he smiled. And I felt like hell froze over.

"I wish you luck then,"

I blinked. What was he talking about.

"It seems he's gotten tired of waiting..." The commander seemed to delight at the words as he spoke.

I turned around on the spot, towards the entrance of the chamber as Yamamoto graciously returned to his feet, his ability to levitate deactivating as he started walking towards the entrance himself.

"If either of you break anything..."

It was then I finally got a good enough look at my visitor, though I am fairly certain Yamamoto had something to do with that too as I gulped at the sight of the last person I wanted to be within a fifty foot radius off.

"Oh... And here I'd thought I'd finally found a match in that Ryoka brat... You've been holding back on me, Aizen!" Kenpachi Zaraki grinned from his position as he braced himself before leaping towards me, his sword raised high.

I was fairly certain he was supposed to be fighting Ichigo right about now... Did I accidentally catch his attention earlier?

I wonder what that means for Ichigo... Still...

Frankly. I am just surprised he even knew Aizen's name.

...


	5. Interlude- A Quincy Stirs

**...**

He wasn't sure what had happened but he knew something must've, for nothing else could explain their great lords reaction, for it had looked, for a moment, like he'd simply _lost _it entirely.

And if he hadn't been who he was, he might've followed in a few of his more brazen colleagues steps and did the same, before ending on _his _blade.

But even he wasn't that _imaginative_.

No, he found it the safer recourse to wait his lords anger out and simply have the other half explain.

Their lord was to drift off into his sleep soon enough. And soon enough they would have their answer.

The Visionary turned towards the second-in-command the moment he felt it, the familiar shift evident as Jugram gained powers beyond any beings wildest dreams.

The rest of the Sternritters that had made it to the meeting watched with apt attention, none saying a single word as they waited. Waited with bated breath, the unspoken question in all their minds.

Why had their lord suddenly started raging?

Jugram's iris's split, signifying one of the most powerful abilities known to existence. The visionary's interest peaking as his own patience threatened to run thin, the very silence threatened to make him go mad! _**He needed an answer!**_

And then he got it, only, it seemed to make things worse...

For Jugram Haschwalth had started _screaming._  
  
And for the first time in his life, Gremmy Thoumeaux felt fear. For if the balance could so easily _see_ the same madness that had threatened their lord, even with his limited talents, then it truly meant dire things were coming.

It took but a second before Jugram had stopped screaming, a _livid_ look to his face as he spoke.

"No matter what, no matter how," The Balance started, _pure_ determination filling his eyes as he slowly lowered his gaze to each and every soul in the room. "**_Aizen Sosuke Must Die!"_**


	6. Ch4

Apparently, I do _need _to breath.

I hadn't initially realised it, but my conversation with Yamamoto had taken far less time then I'd thought.

I suppose me _keeping up_ with him must've freaked him out... But I wasn't sure _why_. I mean Aizen's true reiatsu level has to be Yamamoto's bigger concern... Being able to hide it well enough to avoid _Zaraki's _attention...

Speaking of who.

I was rather glad my speed outclassed said captain. My body automatically ducked to the left, avoiding the overhead strike, though I still wasn't prepared for the spike of reiatsu that crashed into the right wall, courtesy of Zaraki.

His reaction to the show of speed, however, simply confused me.

...

Zaraki grinned in triumph at the perfectly executed dodge, Aizen's hands automatically moved towards his sheathed blade. _So... He _can _use that power..._  
  
"I am hurt Aizen!" He gleefully shouted as he rotated his body anti-clockwise, his body moving towards me right-shoulder first before, in single second, he suddenly pulled the shoulder back, his blade raised high, it's angle diagonal and his posture _straight_ as he put as much force as he could manage _without_ his eyepatch on. The bells on his ears ringed from the sudden motion as he pumped the reiatsu into the downwards strike.

"To think you never once _offered_ to _die!"_

_"I am pretty sure you mean duel!" _The fifth captain replied back.

He grinned in retort.

The reiatsu on the blade flared as he watched, in utter delight, Aizen, instead of dodge, meet him blade to blade.

And _hold_ him.

...

Genryussei Yamamoto didn't have high hopes that his office would remain in _perfect _condition following a little bout of fun between captains but this...

This was unacceptable.

...

The ground was the first to go.

Apparently when two reiatsu flared Zanpactous meet, the force doesn't randomly just _focus _on the wielders...

Captain's must have some serious level of control to minimise damage...

Now while my body certainly had the _experience,_ it didn't have the control to actively input said experience. For while it was in favour of escaping. I was more in favour of meeting the man head on. With the thought that Aizen's reiatsu was high enough to avoid any chance of damage.

I realised _that_ ability was also likely another skill.

Honestly, it should've been obvious.

Aizen _cheated._  
  
Like, a _serious_ amount of times.

Thing is, while this body is definitely powerful.

It evidently deemed an eyepatchless Zaraki a genuine threat.

When I first saw him leap in for a hit, my body automatically responded with a dodge.

It knew Zaraki could hurt it.

And yet Aizen was also capable of stopping Ichigo's bankai with a single finger.

It doesn't make sense, until you realise that Aizen cheated, _a lot_.

His shikai allowed him to create illusions.

Let me put that in another way.

His shikai allowed him to _temporarily_ redefine _reality_ according to himself.

Him stopping Ichigo's bankai with one finger?

Kyoka Suigetsu.

But that doesn't mean he was weak.

I am pretty sure it just means he was lazy.

My attention snapped back to Zaraki following out brief standoff, the man was currently looking ahead at me, a wide-eyed expression on his face.

The entire _room_ was a wreck. The ground had taken the blunt of the hit, cracks formed all across into what looked like a drunkenly drawn flower. The pristine walls marred with scars, in what was likely to be the first time in centuries.

And above all, the giant scroll that hung in the middle of the office was now in tatters.

"_What_ _are you doing?" _He growled.

I blinked at the question.

"What?"

"Why did you do that!? Why'd you blow your reiatsu off like that?" He growled, his anger surprisingly diminishing, though there was a hint of resignation to his tone. His sword raised, and pointed towards my Zanpactou.

"Blow..?-"

"What's wrong with you? Can't you control your power or something?" _Kenpachi Zaraki_ questioned me with a straight face.

I promptly questioned my reality.

Reality hit back hard in the form of a _pissed_ Yamamoto.

Naturally, as the two captains stared at each other before quickly looking towards Yamamoto, Zaraki and I came to the same conclusion.

Team up on the old man.

Two literal reiatsu powerhouses vs the Captain-commander of the Gotei 13.

...

We received the ass-kicking of the _century_.

And the man did it in _five minutes._  
  
The worst part was he didn't cause a single bit of collateral damage. The fight started off and ended on the same ground. The cracked pattern from earlier not receiving a single dent to it's image. The walls somehow seemed _cleaner_ after.

All he'd used were the pommel of his sword and pure raw power.

My body hadn't even deigned to interrupt the 'punishment'. Evidently thinking I deserved it! Though something tells me that if/when Aizen Sosuke does ever get control of his body back, he's going to _censor_ this part of history.

Thankfully, because I had quite frankly, an important ass job to do, I got away without any broken limbs!

Pretty sure Zaraki's in a coma.

Worst part was, he probably still had to make the captains meeting.

Said captain's meeting was to happen in less then an hour.

Following the sacrilege of damaging Yamamoto's office, I was promptly dumped back into my office in order to prepare a _list. _Which is why I am currently sat crosslegged on my floor, pretending to get work done as my mind tried to figure out the next step... Which would be a lot easier if I could, you know, interact with people but due to my claim of temporal anomalies, I wasn't allowed to meet anyone until _after_ the captains meeting, after they've figured out what to and not to tell everyone. Even my, likely hyperventilating, lieutenant.

I don't think Yamamoto trusts me with the other characters.

Which is why _both_ of us were probably going to get into trouble.

I turned my head, placing a forced smile on my face. "I know you're there _Gin,_"

And, almost like he was an anime character, Gin Ichimaru slowly walked out of the shadowed corner in my small square room.

His chuckle sent shivers down my spine, "What gave me away, Aizen-_taichou?_

_So much nope.  
_

"Your killing intent," I quipped on reflex. Briefly writing a note to _kill myself_ later.

I wasn't sure if making him twitch was a bad idea.

"_Hilarious," _Gin deadpanned back before his expression changed into an expression I never thought I'd see on his face.

Oddly enough, I don't feel like he's here to kill me.

Honestly, he looked pretty..._ resigned... Tired? _Whatever it was...

Either the manga and anime _completely_ messed up in his character, or this Gin also 'came' from the future.

"So?" I started amiably, evidently making his skin crawl in the process, as I idly thumbed the Zanpactou at my hip.

"So," He replied back, his face seemingly more alert. Though he did elect to take a seat himself.

"What do we do now..?" I questioned back, one eyebrow raised at the action. I am _pretty_ sure he could still kill- My reflexes _literally_ saved my life as my body darted towards the left as a blade suddenly shot out from the reaper in front of me.

1\. Gin _definitely_ just tried to kill me.  
2\. Aizen was _faster_ then Gin's _shikai._  
3\. Walls in soul society can scream in pain-

Wait, what!?

My body had automatically moved into the adjacent corner to the one Gin had popped out off. My gaze set on the self-proclaimed snake.

Gin_ moved_ to stand beside me, my gaze following him, though my body oddly enough didn't seem to mind. There was a look of genuine surprise on his own face as he stared ahead to the position I'd previously been in.

I turned to the spot he was staring at and there, just behind where I'd previously sat was an open eye, with a gaping hole in the middle of it.

"..."

"Forgive my sudden attack, but I sensed something foul-"

Bullshit. I should know, I've got a degree on it.

Still, lucky break or not for him, there was now a bleeding open eye in the middle of room. Where this eye came from, I had absolutely no clue.

"_Disgusting... Absolutely disgusting, both of you,"_ A voice snarled out of seemingly nowhere.

I drew my blade the moment the bleeding eye knit itself back together, the rest of it's body slowly coming into existence behind it.

My stomach _turned_ when I saw the hauntingly white uniform slowly coming into existence. Why...

They weren't supposed to show themselves yet... This... We were in the beginning! They weren't supposed to show until after... _Everything_!

The sense of unease grew even more, as I realised this one was _practically_ teleporting into the middle of Aizen Sosuke's private chambers!

They... They couldn't just do that could they!? Was my memory wrong?

"Aizen-_taichou_... Do you know him?" Gin questioned as he got into a stance, his focus on the stranger in white. He watched on as the man's face finally came into existence.

My brain froze at the youthful blonde smiling face...

"How did you get in here?" I questioned passively. I knew the answer.

Gremmy Thoumeaux smiled at the prompt. "I _imagined_ myself meeting you... And lo' n behold," He questioned his arms flourishing out, as if he was trying to show off a products size, "Here we are," It couldn't be _that_ easy for him could it..? More then that, he couldn't be that reckless, could he? Showing up in the middle of soul society... Though I definitely do remember him being able to create clones. Was this one of them?

Gin took one more look at the stranger before he turned towards me and smiled.

"Imagination?" He questioned with a prompt, humouring the fact I was now a 'timetraveler'

I nodded with a shrug as I raised my own blade towards the, surprisingly patient, Sternritter,. "I'll explain later,"

Gin's eyes seemed to narrow at the stance before he slowly turned his head towards the blonde in the room. Slowly, he lowered his own body into position before promptly disappearing into thin air. Leaving me to fight the Quincy alone.

Son of a...

I sighed as I turned my gaze back to Gremmy.

"You're awfully patient, anyone ever tell you that?"

The Sternritter had gone silent after a few moments of showing up, his brow furrowed as he tilted his head slightly. "I am trying to figure out _why,"_  
  
"Why what? Why your lord's a crazy jackass-" I stopped speaking at the sudden feeling of despair that had filled my body. My eyes blinking rapidly as I felt it, the sudden shifting of reiatsu. _My _reiatsu. He was modifying it- I needed to do something quickly! _Zanpactou/instictincs! if there was ever a time to take over this is it! If you need it, you have my consent! I am literally going to die!_

"Be careful how you speak... Though I suppose it wouldn't matter. If you're going to die anyway." He idly remarked, a bored look on his face as he waved a hand at me.

"Sha-" I started with a wince at the strain.

"Oh? You're actually resisting." Gremmy remarked, interest showing on his face. "But no matter what you do. _You can't beat me_." He remarked, once again bored.

I am not sure why I grinned at his proclamation, but it seemed to take him back, what with the sudden way my reitasu relaxed_. _If for only a second, but then again, that was all I'd needed.

"_Shatter! Kyoka Suigetsu!"_  
  
Gremmy raised a single eyebrow, "And what is that supposed to do?"

"Your power completely relies on your ability to focus, does it not? You could literally die by not paying attention," I stated instead of answering his question.

His eye twitch gave away his surprise.

"How does that make you feel?" I questioned further with a small grin.

"Is telling me all of that supposed to accomplish something!?" He growled.

Touchy about his power. Got it.

"I wasn't telling _you," _I grinned back as I felt the hum of energy that radiated off the blade. My body automatically responding to the sudden information. Already urging me to move about, strange words and phrases slowly filtering their way to my mind. Ideas and plans echoing in.

At some point, I am probably going to have to question how my body seemed to work but for now, I am just going to let it kick _Mr Roger's_ ass.

...


	7. Ch5

I had been about to initiate _another_ on-the-spot plan, before I came up with another _one_, honestly!  
I am shocked Aizen actually managed to hold that facade up for as long as he did because if _I am_ coming up with all these ideas then god only knows how much goes through the real one's brain...

When I think about how often he must've been tempted to say fuck it and try out likely world-ending experiments...

Honestly, from the view I am seeing? Canon was Aizen Sosuke _being_ _nice_.

And as if _he_ somehow heard me, I could feel an almost serene sense of... Not to say appreciation... But something _close..._Fill the air.

The implications of _that_ aside, I focused my gaze towards Gremmy. My sword lazily pointed towards him, a smile slowly grew on my face as I, rather calmly, sheathed the blade. I _knew_ Complete Hypnosis was in effect as my current body was evidently not _shitting_ itself at the prospect of fighting the literal definition of a reality warper.

I let that thought linger in the air for a moment...

Ah... There's the small amount of dread kicking in.

_This is not amusing,_ The child-like voice from earlier returned in full force.

If this was supposed to be Aizen Sosuke then I am not sure sure what that said about him.

_Hush you,_ I thought appropriately.

Anyway. I had an idea.

I grinned at the Sternritter, earning a sneer in return.

_Focus! He's-_  
  
I relaxed entirely as I felt the Sternritter's energy flare in the air.

_What are you doing!?_  
  
"Jugram had a fit didn't he?" I questioned passively. I'd almost forgotten the second-in-command shared his powers with Yhwach...

Aizen's voice was quickly silenced.

The reiatsu in the air _vanished_. Instantly.

The moment Gremmy's attention shifted, reality knit itself back up instantly.

Still, the Quincy reacting this quickly? It's only been 3 hours...

_And in the last 10 minutes you've nearly died 97 times,_  
  
Oh, he's keeping count for me.

Aizen?

"What do you know of it?" Gremmy asked, oddly polite. His posture seemed to have relaxed, his expression calm, almost cheerful. Almost child-like in his mood swing...

"I'll answer your question... For a favour," I grinned at him.

Gremmy tilted his head at the words, a blank look on his face. "What kind of favour?" He questioned curiously.

My answer made Aizen screech into my head.

"I am planning a prank you see, I am planning to prank the _Shinigami!"_  
  
He blinked at me, curiosity burning in his eyes.

"Just like I pranked the Sternritters... Don't you wanna know how?" I added on as I finally felt my mind clear, Aizen evidently having calmed down.

I swear the brat's eyes were practically _sparkling_.

"What do you need?" He questioned completely serious.

I grinned back, "I need you to summon a person called Rukia Kuchiki, she's currently in prison."

"Why?" he questioned again, curiosity plain.

"We're gonna steal their missing evidence,"

He blinked once and nodded.

_This proves absolutely nothing, he _will_ kill you as soon as you've outlived your usefulness, which is to say truly none, you are merely delaying the inevitable And given **I** would likely have to exert an effort to defeating him... Need I say more, mortal?_

Nope, got you loud and clear.

Challenge accepted.

_..._

_...  
_

_-Gremmy-_

Transporting the girl was an easy favour, the Quincy mused. He found it both odd that this Shinigami could pose enough of a threat to send both halve's of his lord to rage and yet at the same time be incapable of transporting a single reaper out of custody?

Incapable enough to _ask a Quincy _for help?

It didn't matter to him really, it was simple... _curiosity. _Curiosities seem to levitate towards this 'Aizen Sosuke'.

"What are you doing?" He questioned calmly as he stared at the Shinigami. The strange reaper was simply staring at the prison-clothed 'Kuchiki Rukia' in front of him. His hand on his chin.

"Arguing with myself for help," The reaper remarked with a shrug.

Gremmy blinked at the answer. _What an odd Shinigami..._  
  
"That does not make much sense,"

"Much?" Aizen minutely turned his gaze towards him, a grin on his face before turned back to the unconscious girl.

Gremmy, near absentmindedly, watched as the Shinigami reached a hand inside his robe pockets to take out what looked like a small purple device?

"This one right?" Aizen questioned no one in particular.

"Who are you talking to?"

"Myself,"

"I see,"

Gremmy briefly took a step back as he watched six green sharpened poles suddenly come out of the ground beneath them, all surrounding the prisoner before them. Aizen's hand had turned entirely green in colour as he slowly reached a hand out towards the girls chest, impaling it without care before, though he had instantly removed his hand. Quickly placing whatever it was he had just removed in his pocket.

Aizen briefly took a step back before nodding his way, urging him to return the girl.

"I suppose this makes it two favours then?" Gremmy questioned with the hint of a grin on his face.

Aizen simply shrugged, though he did release a sigh of relief when the girl was transported back to her tower. The green poles from earlier having disappeared entirely.

"Now, you will tell me-" Gremmy started to speak before he felt something fill the air. He couldn't tell where it came from but the energy in the air had started shifting. He narrowed his eyes at the Shinigami. "What are you doing?"

Aizen blinked, the amused expression on his face evident. "What on earth do you mean?" He questioned innocently.

With a swipe of his hand, Gremmy made said energy disappear as he focused his attention on clearing the air, _temporarily_removing any and all enchantments in it in the process.

To his own surprise, Aizen simply smiled at the action before he started to speak.

"I'll be completely honest with you about what happened," The Shinigami started. The Quincy's own interest rising. Idly wondering what kind of 'prank' could result in his lords rampage across the Wandenreich.

"I have absolutely no idea," Aizen's answer filled the room in silence.

Gremmy twitched once as he stared at the captain in front of him. "That prisoner..?"

"Just covering my bases, you've been a marvellous help,"

Gremmy stared at the Shinigami, his anger almost taking over before the serene sense of calm from earlier return. "You're lying,"

He paid no mind to his, oddly, fluctuating emotions.

The two words however had their intended effect with the way the Shinigami seemed to freeze up.

"Why are you lying? What are you hiding Aizen Sosuke?" Gremmy's tone quickly shifted, his words came out faster, with a certain edge to them as his eyes widened further.

Aizen quickly narrowed his eyes as he leapt a few steps back before to his own shock he found the wall behind him _expand_further away from him.

"You will not escape that easily, I have locked you in here with me, and until I choose to let you leave you will not _go__anywhere."_  
  
Aizen Sosuke stood still, one eye on the slowly distancing wall, the ground beneath them expanding with it. he could see the other walls follow in their footsteps as his previously small room suddenly grew one-hundred fold.

"I thought you were here to kill me?" Aizen questioned him lazily.

Gremmy twitched again, what on earth was wrong with this Shinigami? "Why are you still calm? You are locked in a dimension with me. Do you truly think you can beat me?" The questions refused to stop as his mind suddenly _yearned_ for the secret. The secret he knew existed, the secret that threatened to send Jugram into insanity! _**H**_**E sImPLy HaD TO **_**KnOW!**_ His mind briefly coloured itself as emotions he'd never felt before started swelling up in him...

Anger, hope, desperation, joy and to his own shock, _even fear._

To think this one Shinigami could instigate such feelings... To think, he_, Gremmy Thoumeuax _could so easily lose control in his presence...

It only made him want to know all the more.

"Hmm..." Aizen idly hummed as he fingered the pommel of his sword, the lackadaisical smile on his. "Are you alright, Gremmy? You look a little overwhelmed..." He questioned lazily.

Gremmy blinked, his head shook as he focused his attention on Aizen again. He could feel the subtle way his feelings seemed to _peak_, sending too many signals to his brain in the process. He could practically feel the endless environment around them warp according to his minds whims. "Tell me the truth! What are you hiding!?" he called out, his anger enough to summon tendrils of darkness for a brief moment befor, once again unnaturally, dissipating.

"And what truth is that?" Aizen's voice came out almost hazily to the Quincy, preventing him from thinking too much on his anger. He briefly took another step back the moment the air around the Shinigami suddenly started shimmering with light. Light he couldn't recall creating..

Gremmy blinked once as he willed his power to effect, as he willed it to get rid of what power Aizen was currently trying to us-

_-MMY! _The sudden, _**unknown**_, sound broke his concentration as it forced itself into his mind. The small lights surrounding Aizen seemed to increase in intensity. Greemmy brought both hands to his head, almost protectively, his eyes widened marginally as he stared at the Shinigami.

"What are you doing to me!?" Grammy suddenly roared, his hands now clasping both sides of his as he willed his power to cleanse anything that might be affecting his _body_.

When the lights failed to disappear, the fear inside his heart grew_, _and with it the unknown voice from earlier returned in full force, Though his sole gaze stayed focused on Aizen Sosuke.  
_  
Gremmy! Get out! It's a tra- _The voice seemed to cut itself off towards the end. But he'd heard enough to get the picture.

It was then he noticed the small smirk on Aizen Sosuke's face.

Gremmy didn't waste a single second as he quickly raised both of his arms towards the Shinigami, his entire focus set on destroying the body in front of him in its entirety. It earned him a look of surprise from him in return though he ignored it as he fired off a point blank blast of _pure reiatsu_. Enveloping said Shinigami entirely.

Though he knew he didn't need to breath, he'd instinctively found himself panting for his breath as he stared at the dark mark crowning the floor the previous Shinigami had been on. He felt the tug off satisfaction at the job well done, his excitement rising as he realised he was likely to get a great reward for his endeavour.

And as he made to leave the dead captains chambers, his hands minutes away from opening the portal back to his world, a strange feeling in the back of his mind... Stilled him, causing him to momentarily turn towards the black mark on the floor before he narrowed his eyes at the style of execution...

Entirely unlike him...

So, he cleared his mind, the walls around them fixing themselves back as his powers touch quickly disappeared, and then he _focused _clearing _any and all_ potential enchantments away.

When the veil lifted, Gremmy found only one single emotion left in it's place. The_ only_ true emotion to have come from him...

_Pure unadulterated rage._

And as he stared at the impeccably clean, and _thoroughly _empty room, he felt tempted to _scream._  
  
That bastard had disappeared the moment he'd gotten what he'd wanted...

And as he considered the implications of giving the one man, whom Jugram had thrown a literal kill on sight order for, exactly what he'd wanted...

The very air around him turned electrical at the thought...

...

_The Tenth Division Barracks_  
  
Hitsugaya abruptly turned on the spot as he heard the sudden explosion go off in the distance. With a quick nod to his lieutenant, the both of them promptly leapt into the sky. Their gazes snapping towards the direction of the sound.

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes when he realised the explosion had come from one of the captains barracks... _Aizen's_ at that... He narrowed his eyes further when he caught sight of a humanoid figure floating high above Aizen's burning chambers.

Straining his ears, Hitsugaya managed to make out the words the _intruder_ was saying.

"-You've pissed on my good graces for the first and last time _**Aizen Sosuke!**_ **You! And**-" The humanoid figure stretched his arms to the side.

Hitsugaya quickly decided his course as he set off the air towards the, clearly _insane,_enemy.

"**-The rest of this pile of trash are going to burn! You dare try that with me! You dare mock me! Who the hell do you think you are!?" **The intruder suddenly raised his hands to the sky, his face coming into view. Hitsugaya could make out an expression of absolute anger.

"**I am Gremmy Thoumeaux! Do I look like fucking Bazz B to you!? I am** _**The Fucking Visionary!**_" The deranged madman _roared_ his voice catching the attention of each and every Shinigami within Sereitei.

_Just what did captain Aizen do to him? To practically turn him mad! _Hitsugaya couldn't help but wonder as he got closer to the potentially dangerous individual, the man didn't seem to be paying him any mind, his sole focus to the sky?

That was when Hitsugaya saw the _meteorite._

_..._

-Ichigo-

He signed up for invading another realm to save his friend.  
He signed up for working with _Urahara Kisuke_.  
Hell, he signed up to fighting half-mad captains who disappeared in the middle of the fight!

That memory still irked him! The sight of that bell wearing weirdo not only taking his strongest strike without a wince but to utterly start laughing like a lunatic... And then disappear...

Even still.

Kurosaki Ichigo had signed up to that and more! All to save his friend!

But this? He considered as he watched, a sweat drop slowly making its way down his head, the meteor slowly making it's way down towards them...

This was pushing it.

And then he heard that voice... And saw the being it was coming from...

Immoral, coldblooded reapers were one thing...

Insane blonde terrorists were another thing entirely.

Though he was certainly grateful for the distraction, he felt somewhat bad for leaving the Shinigami to fend for themselves...

Maybe this 'Aizen Sosuke' could help them out...

The blonde weirdo was certainly demanding his attention.

...

-Aizen-

I briefly considered the available options I had as I stared out from my hiding spot.

"**Show yourself Dammit!"**  
  
I ignored the shrill voice, my attention focused on the meteorite heading towards soul society, at a rather leisurely place I must admit.

_Can he not simply will you to show yourself with his ability?_

Probably.

_Why hasn't he?_  
  
I don't think you have any right to question anyone about how they use their powers.

Aizen?

I sighed as I suddenly got to my feet, my blade in hand already. I was currently hid ontop of one of the captain barracks. I wasn't sure which, I'd yet to actually memorise each one.

**"You have one minute! One minute before everything burns!" **Gremmy's voice tore through the air. His manic laughter echoing out, attracting everyone's attention.

I am surprised no one's tried to fight him-

I felt their presence a second before they arrived.

Three Captains.

One Commander.

I grinned at their arrival. I'd flared out my reiatsu to attract their attention. Evidently Gremmy didn't bother searching for me by said reiatsu.

He probably thought I'd try to hide it.

Too bad for him.

I don't use logic.

_Understatement of the century._

The Hogyoku definitely works fast... Aizen's humour was already evolving.

_I don't think you understand what Humour actually means..._  
  
Do you?

_I named Hinamori my lieutenant, did I not?_  
  
Cold dude. Seriously, just cold.

I turned towards my fellow captains, a grin appearing on my face.

_Your ability to hide your emotions is frankly frightening._  
  
I wasn't sure how I felt about that... I mean I don't think I am hiding anything...

_That in itself is worrying,_

"It seems the captain meeting will have to be postponed," Yamamoto remarked earning my attention, his eyes lazily appraising the blonde Quincy raving in the sky. I'd been about to speak before Yamamoto turned his gaze towards me. "Is there a particular reason this _dangerous_ individual is currently seeking your death?"

I swear I could practically feel the sarcasm rolling out of the commander.

Even with a meteor slowly making its way towards us, dude gave absolutely _no shits._

_I am asking you to keep those thoughts to yourself. Nicely._

So long as you play nice! 'Cos I've got another plan!

"We had a conversation-" I started to answer only to be interrupted.

"I understand," Yamamoto deadpanned. "I take it you have a plan?" He questioned rhetorically.

Ignoring that jab, I turned towards the other captains beside the commander, one Shunsui and Ukitake and gave them said plan.

_I am beginning to see a pattern here._  
  
That is literally impossible.

...

-Hitsugaya-

Hitsugaya was a reasonably abled captain, young for his age for sure, but his abilities on the matter have never been in question. His history alone would have people double-checking themselves before speaking to him on his captaincy.

And so, due to this, he wasn't necessarily prepared for the sudden, complete, dismissal by the blonde intruder.

"You're not Aizen, get lost," Gremmy drawled the moment he'd appeared within view.

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes, his zanpakuto out in his hands as he heard the sudden sound of his lieutenants flash step appear behind him. "I am going to have to-" he started, about to release his sword before he saw the stranger merely wave his hand, a blinding flash suddenly filling his view causing him to wince.

When he reopened his eyes, he felt himself twitch at his location.

'OOf!' His lieutenant exclaimed as she landed beside him, a wide-eyed expression on her face. She briefly looked around, her head comically turning as she tried to figure out what part of the Rukongai they'd been thrown into...

"Are we in district 80!?"

"..." _That maniac is so going to pay..._

_..._

_-Ichigo-_  
  
Ichigo found his attention momentarily taken away from the white tower they'd managed to reach. He knew just behind that door stood, a likely rather long climb given the shinigamis fixation on long staircases, Rukia... He ignored the sudden commotion as Hanataro searched around his uniform for some sort of key. His focus on the distance. He could just about make out another person in front of the blonde from earlier.

Even Hanataro seemed to momentarily get distracted as he turned around in the same direction.

"Aizen-taichou?" Hanataro seemed surprised. "Wow... He's way stronger than I thought... You can feel his Reiatsu here!" He seemed to exclaim in awe. Ichigo was rather glad for the kid, he'd seemed awfully despondent ever since the appearance of that meteor.

"Can you hear them?" Ichigo found himself. Straining his eyes, he could make out the form of this 'Aizen Sosuke'

**"It's time to pay for what you've done! I'll let you live long enough to watch your world vanish! Would you like to give your people any last words!?" **The blonde man seemed to cackle, his voice loud enough to reach even them. His sheer excitement at the prospect was rather... revolting.

Ichigo, oddly enough found his attention fixed onto the 'event.' His eyes refusing to budge.

He watched on as 'Aizen' merely raised a single hand to the side, his reiatsu flaring like a blanket as it covered as much distance as it could manage, which to him was _mind-boggling._  
  
"What is he doing?" Hanataro's whisper caught him off guard, "Why's he pouring out all of his reiatsu like that... He won't last at this rate..."

"Yes, actually_**," **_The new voice suddenly caught them unaware, no doubt empowered by the blonde.

"_Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu,"_

_..._

_-Aizen-  
_

I had to time this right.

I wasn't actually anywhere near Gremmy, I was still with same group as earlier, the three captains just ahead of me, each of their blades alight with power. They'd been building this up since the meteor first showed itself. We'd moved closer the moment I'd finished telling them what they had to do.

About 100 metres in the air stood Gremmy, his face inscrutable. 300 Metres above us was the currently falling Meteorite. Now accelerating at a much faster rate.

Though of course no one but me actually knew I was here per say. They all thought I was actually speaking to Gremmy.

Just like him.

I took in Gremmy's flabbergasted face from my position as he watched my false-self's sword for any signs of... Well, I am assuming anything. When he realised absolutely nothing had changed, he turned a scowl towards fake me's face,

Aizen's eyesight was literally 20/20 on steroids. He could probably see an insect a mile away if he focused.

"**You still dare to make a mock-" **He started cursing as his mind suddenly willed the meteorite into speeding up.

Perfect.

Fake me brought his free hand out before him, an amused smile on his face before he simply flicked his fingers.

Yamamoto, Shunsui and Ukitake took this as their que to launch enough firepower to take out _cities._  
  
While my Shikai, without any of them knowing, secretly covered the entirety of the event in an illusion.

From the captains view, nothing had changed, their combined reiatsu had simply crashed into the meteorite, completely vaporising it in the process.

As far as they were concerned, Gremmy had seen exactly what they had. And my job in all of this was to keep him preoccupied long enough until I figured how to use a certain, non-existent, spell I'd learned in the future to _seal_ him.

_I told you not to use that as an excuse._  
  
Well, it's not like you gave me any.

_I did._  
  
Genocide is never the answer Aizen.

My plan was to psyche him out into retreating.

Which is exactly why from his point of view, the moment I'd flicked my fingers, his little meteorite _disappeared_.

...

-Gremmy-

Gremmy's face stiffened, his eyes widening as he eyed the now missing meteorite... "Cl-clear..." He whispered to himself, his mind forcibly clearing any and all enchantments in the vicinity, his voice no longer augmented as he searched for the missing meteor.

Nothing showed up. Nothing returned.

It wasn't an illusion.

His meteor had truly _disappeared_...

He turned his gaze towards the smirking Aizen Sosuke.

The man who'd made his meteorite _cease_ with the flick of a finger... The man who'd made his imagination _disappear._  
  
"Do you understand what that means?" Aizen questioned, a looming aura emanating from him. His eyes practically dead to the world as he stared at him.

Gremmy Thoumeuax felt his finger twitch. He briefly floated back, for a second almost forgetting that he was currently standing on air. And then he finally noticed the attention he'd gathered... He felt the gaze of thousands on him, the flare of a thousand reiatsu's...

Thousands of them... And yet he couldn't even kill _one_...

And as he took in Aizen Sosuke's _shimmering_ face, Gremmy realised that from the very beginning, he'd been playing him for a fool.

The man hadn't even deigned to meet him face to face and yet had still managed to practically _shutdown_ his power.

And as he focused his mind on returning back, on _running _home. As holes ripped across reality, he figured it out, understood even, why Jugram and his lord had acted the way they did.

_ **Gremmy knew then and there, instincitvely believed even, that Aizen Sosuke was, by any and all definitions, a monster. ** _

_..._  
  
See. Told ya it'd all work out.

_Even a broken clock is right twice a day._  
  
Are you calling me a broken clock?

_No, you've only been right _once_._  
  
So you're admitting I was right?

_You're insufferable._

_..._


	8. Ch6

I took in a deep breath, the anxiety inside growing I stared at the entrance to the captains meeting.

_I __sincerely__ doubt even _you_ could screw this up..._

I am starting to regret releasing my sword earlier.

_If you'd like to go through the meeting alone-_  
  
I rolled my eyes and promptly went through the door, quickly earning everyone's attention.

Evidently I'd been late.

Not a word.

I quickly swept my gaze over as I walked inside, taking note of each captain. Shunsui looked like he was napping with the way his hat covered his entire face. And to my own surprise, Kenpachi had made it though the other captains had evidently decided to keep him both gagged and tied up... I could make out bandages covering most of the man's body just beneath the ropes.

Down towards the end I could see Kuchiki Byakuya, his eyes fully alert, his posture almost rigid as he stared ahead. Barely acknowledging me. Just beside him sat a suspcious Hitsugaya.

Oh and _of course,_ can't forget Ichimaru Gin, nor my other 'ally' Kaname Tosen. The two made the row next to Byakuya and Hitsugaya.

Ah- I almost missed Komamura!

_Do not tell him he resembles a lamp!_

I wasn't- Ok I was but- Damn...

Yamamoto sat at the front, his eyebrows rising a tad as he looked me over.

"Is something the matter?" He questioned me passively.

I quickly shook my head, "Sorry just a little taken back,"

"By what?" Shunsui's voice quickly froze me, not even giving me the chance to move. Though I could barely make out his eyes, I could practically feel the heavy atmosphere.

Huh. Didn't expect it from him if I am completely honest.

Aizen was oddly quiet.

"All of the seats are filled up!" I remarked somewhat cheerfully.

Oh... Now _everyone's_ suspicious...

"I meant that in a good way... As in none of you have died yet..."

I am genuinely surprised Aizen's body was so calm about all of this.

Didn't feel a damn thing.

"I suppose that's why you are here to change it, why don't you take a seat Aizen-taichou," (I actually have no clue how honorofics work)

The captain commanders words seemed to cool down a lot of the anger... Hitsugaya didn't look like he was going to stab me anymore at least.

"Right, sorry, just not really used to..." And for a single second I felt mild panic build up inside, fearful I wouldn't be able to find the right word, but for some odd reason... The words seemed to almost _flow _right out.

"_The atmosphere," _As soon as I'd said it I felt my body stiffen. I hadn't thought to say that... And _I knew_ it didn't come from Aizen...

Yamamoto blinked at the words before he nodded, almost solemnly.

_That was rather intelligent of you... How worryingly ominous._  
  
Not helping!

I quickly focused my attention back up and continued walking to my seat.

_Lonely,_ Aizen suddenly exclaimed out of nowhere.

What-

"What was it like?" Ukitake suddenly spoke up, he was currently sat opposite Shunsui. There was a surprisingly civil expression on his face. Hell, I am pretty sure he's trying to hold back a smile!

"It was... Lonely..." I answered with a weak smile.

_So you can be taught._  
  
That was mildly terrifying. Before another idea popped up in my mind. A small grin fixing itself on my face as I walked towards Hitsugaya, taking the empty seat opposite him.

"Yo," I grinned at him.

I felt like I was forgetting something...

Hitsugaya had a bemused look to his face, hints of anger and at the same time curiosity plain.

"Hello?"

"You and I are going to be great friends, I can just tell," I stated seriously with a cheeky grin.

He blinked at my sudden exclamation before a frown quickly appeared on his face. "You are most definitely not Aizen."

"Not the one you knew no," I quickly turned towards the Captain commander-

Ah... Right, this was a captains meeting.

"Oh no, do continue," Shunsui remarked, a small twinkle in his eye. Opposite him Ukitake had a resigned look to his face.

You know what?

Fuck it.

I will continue.

I fixed a look towards the commander. "Can I tell 'em?"

The commander took a moment to look around the new room before seemingly judging the room safe and nodding towards me.

_Pfft..._  
  
Did Aizen just scoff in my head?

Was the world about to end?

"Well?" Shunsui called out, clear irritation on his face.

I took in a deep breath before nodding and facing most of the captains, particularly Hitsugaya, likely my biggest obstacle.

_I sincerely doubt that..._  
  
Yes, well I still need a new friend. Gin's already tried to kill me.

_Wait, what?_  
  
"Where do I even begin..?" I mused outloud.

_This is definitely not going to end well._  
  
Ignoring that, I began spinning a tale, a tale that practically flowed out of my mouth as if it was a open tap. I am not sure what was motivating me to keep on speaking but it came to me almost naturally!

"This story, I suppose starts with a certain _infamous_ hollow called The First Sun of Huaco Mundo. Or as he's going to start calling himself once he decides to show himself..."

And I honestly just couldn't help myself here.

"Josh Groban."

...

And what only started out in a vague gesture of friendship towards Hitsugaya somehow got entirely out of control... Though I suppose it would be possible to have the Espada play along... Besides Barragan at any rate.

And unbeknownst to almost _everyone_ but one _unnaturally_ sharp Zanpactou. A single invisible eye loomed in the smallest crevice it could find, it's entire attention fixated on the story _that monster _spoke. His entire being shaking as he heard the impossible reality. The truth that had been hidden from them.

He hadn't been entirely sure it'd be a good idea to return so soon... But, he'd simply been unable to help himself... And after what he'd just learned? He was certainly glad for it...

The truth of a naturally born monster... Vasto Lorde? Was that what he'd called it? A naturally born Vasto Lorde that had raised both himself and an enormous empire using an impossible stone of power.

Josh Groban... The First Sun of Huaco Mundo and his army of demons called the '_Espada'._

_And of course... He couldn't forget of the demon bat. _A creature that had managed to even install fear into the one man that had thoroughly defeated him!

The first Sun's Dragon, the prodigious Hollow who had broken through every limit known to exist thanks to the impossible power of the _Hogyoku_... For while the First Sun had merely used it, the Dragon had _embraced it _completely.

Aizen Sosuke spoke of the rest, of even the Lord of such an empire with almost disinterest... And yet when it came to the prodigal demon... His face seemed to _twist_ with the way his expression changed. An expression he failed to understand... But a reaction none the less.

And only another monster could truly cause such a thing...

And as Gremmy stared on in both wonder and horror at the story, his entire focus on the reaper from the future. He failed to notice the _chaotic _reiatsu that had suddenly filled the air around him. He failed to notice anything until it had brushed against his own. Until he felt the rush of power temporarily fill his being before, abruptly  
receding away from him.

The last thing he could see was the blinding flash that had seemed to suddenly emanate from the _monster's _robes...

...

I blinked as I felt the sudden rush of power that briefly filled my chest. Quickly shaking my head, I turned my focus back to Yamamoto and promptly ignored it.

Still, I was somewhat put off by the lackadaisical nature Ichimaru Gin was giving off... As if he knew something I didn't... I'd even seen him _smile_ a few times when I mentioned the Hogyoku... Though he hadn't said anything yet.

"The intruder from earlier, the one that _escaped-_" I gave him a sheepish grin when I heard the word. He wasn't amused. "Was he one of these Espada?"

"I was under the impression he was another Ryoka..." Hitsugaya remarked from my side.

I blinked at the words before snorting. "Nah, that's another calamity all together." I idly remarked waving my hand.

"How many are there?" Hitsugaya questioned immediately. Evidently telling him I'd seen his true bankai had opened him up a lot more to me.

"I am not entirely sure, I lost track after _six_,"

I am pretty sure at-least three of the captains just groaned at that.

They've been doing that _all _night.

"It seems we may need more then a single meeting... Ukitake, I trust you'll be able to inform the others of what we've learnt so far? It seems, following the execution-"

"Wait, what? I just told you you have like six calamities on the way and you still want to kill one of our Shinigami?" I'd suddenly snapped my attention towards them. Clear irritation crossing my face.

Yamamoto on the other hand didn't skip a beat as he simply stated. "Central 46 has already decreed her guilty-"

"Central 46's dead, and they were dead long before Kuchiki-san went to the human world." I fired back.

I probably should've worded that better.

"Oh my, what an interesting conversation to walk into," A random voice, to _me _at any rate, however chose to interrupt the meeting at that very moment... A random voice that sent shivers down my body suddenly echoed through the room. Catching everyone's attention.

Funnily enough, the only captains to actually get up were Hitsugaya and Kuchiki. Shunsui raised a single eyebrow. A look of shame filled Ukitake's. Yamamoto's expression didn't budge, except for the slight narrowing of his own eyes. Kenpachi had fallen asleep twenty minutes ago.

Ichimaru Gin was blatantly grinning, his eyes_ closed_ as he looked straight at me.

I couldn't see Komamura's face thanks to the baske-helmet. Tosen didn't even turn his head at the sound.

"_Aizen-taichou_, I heard you've been stealing other peoples property... Most importantly, _my_ property." Kisuke Urahara grinned from the entrance of the door.

I can't believe it hasn't even been half a day yet...

Still what could have I possibly done to get this bastard out of hiding- Oh right. Stole The Hogyoku. Speaking of which... How had Gin known I'd already taken it? He'd already left by the time Gremmy had helped me get it... Unless he went straight to Rukia's tower...

..._Hey Aizen_-

_What. Is. It!?_  
  
Wow he's pissed.

_YOU LOST IT!_

What?

_You've lost the Hogyok- Don't even think about looking through your pockets! Are you actively trying to get me killed!?_

Well...

_Shit then_.

...

-Gremmy-

Gremmy stared at his empty hand in open horror, he felt it shake as he tentatively got himself up off his own bed. The last thing he could recall was a blinding flash before... Before he woke up... _Human. _

_In body and mind._

His power... His power was _gone. His body... His body refused to change... Reality refused to bend to his whims!_

He barely noticed the sudden shift in the air as he heard the footsteps slowly getting closer. He could feel his breathing quicken as the sound grew closer. As the uniformed figure glared at him, pure hate filled eyes locked to his own.

"_Gremmy... What have you done!?" _Jugram snarled, a manic look to his face, his mismatched eyes petrifying the Sternritter. _What on earth happened to him!?_ One eye held their lords gift while the other held Jugrams... His twisted form sent shivers down the blondes spine. It was then he noticed the sheer pressure that had filled the room.

"What happened-" He barely finished the sentence before he felt the cold touch of steel sing across his neck.

...

Elsewhere, across the vast open desert of Huaco Mundo stood a palace unlike any other. A palace occupied solely by the greatest of hollows.

The Espada Of Las Noches.

And though all of them had _sensed_ the sudden disturbance in the air the moment it had rippled across reality, only two truly _felt_ it, a feeling that would forever change _them and their_ world.

...


	9. Ch7

_-Incoherent screeching-_

I know I shouldn't laugh but I really can't help it.

The small chuckle quickly drew the other's captains attention. While Aizen screeched bloody murder into my head, I was unbelievably calm.

Even in the face of a smiling Kisuke.

I, have in fact never been more _comfortable._

I locked gazes with Urahara Kisuke and gave him a _genuine smile. _I was rather surprised when I realised I was actually looking forward to his reaction...

Kisuke Urahara briefly blinked at the interaction and promptly _shattered_ my confidence as he _returned my smile in kind._

"The Great Aizen Sosuke, laughing and smiling? What sorcery is this!?" Kisuke questioned mockingly. His cane tapping the floor once. He slowly turned towards the rest of the captains in the room. Quickly glancing over the the two currently standing, earning an admittedly amusi-

_Tread carefully._  
  
_Noted._

Kisuke raised a single eyebrow when his gaze caught the captain-commanders. "How is he still not in jail? I remember getting exiled for _way_ _less,_ and I didn't even do half the things they said!"

_Wait what?_

_Focus!_

Right, right. I coughed, quickly earning Kisuke's attention.

"Hey, if he coughs, does that mean he's guilty? No? Ok," I twitched the moment he spoke over me.

Thinking the man was done speaking _this _time, I was about to start before to my further annoyance, Kisuke promptly turned on his heel, directly facing me, and interrupted me again...

_You will need to fight tooth and nail _ _for every_ _ scrap with this man. The other captains seemed to have forgotten, though they will surely remember-_

"Before we jump on to the fact you! Stole! My! Property!" Kisuke's dramatics only seemed to aggravate the other captains. "I just have to know... Is Josh Groban, _the actor himself_, involved in any of this?" The question, utterly taking me by surprise, froze my words on my lips as I clasped them shut.

"What?" I questioned somewhat numb.

"Oh, I've just got a bit of a stock investment on him... Just wanted to know if I should sell early or not," Urahara Kisuke deadpanned.

And for the first time since coming here, Aizen and I _finally_ agreed on the same thing.

Urahara Kisuke was, more than likely, the _scariest_ person alive.

_That will need to change-_

Dude. We are so not going to try kill Urahara Kisuke.

I wouldn't touch that bastards plot-armour with a power poll!

...

"Urahara Kisuke, you are not only trespassing_ and_ listening in on a _Captain's Meeting_ but as it stands you are _also _in violation of your exile," A heavy voice suddenly filled the room.

And to my own surprise, the words had come from _Komamura._

"Hmm, Well, _I am_ here to report a crime," Kisuke remarked, somewhat warily at _some_ of the looks he was receiving.

"Kisuke..." Byakuya chose this as the moment to speak up. The captain seemed the most alert. His eyes slowly gazed around the room. As if he were looking for something. "You would do well-

_About time-_  
  
"Do what well? It's not like I can go to Central 46, Aizen killed 'em all." Kisuke suddenly spoke over the sixth Captain.

"Do you have any proof?" Shunsui quickly cut in before anyone could so much as twitch at the 'accusation.'

_As if I'd leave any..._

Great. The _rational _one of us just admitted to killing the government. Wonderful sign.

Urahara Kisuke turned towards the 8th division captain with a smile that sent shivers down my spine.

Seriously Aizen, calm dow-

_Do not presume to tell me what to do!  
_  
_You are so going to get us killed._

Urahara grinned at the words. "Oh, I'll do you one better. I am willing to _open up my case _again,"

That doesn't sound too bad...

"Ohh?" Shunsui questioned abruptly, a gleam in his eye. "I am sure, given you're a former captain yourself, you already know the rules..?"

Urahara waved his hands dismissively, "Yes, yes, if it fails my sentence gets upgraded, I am well aware how it works,"

_Uh... Aizen, kinda lost here, what's going on? And how do you upgrade exile exactly?_

Aizen?

"You will also need a captain to vouch for you..." Shunsui added on further.

"I am sure _Gin-taichou_ is more then willing to help,"

Said captain briefly nodded his head, his trademark smile on his face.

_Shit._  
  
Well... Safe to say, Aizen's officially lost it-

_I can still hear you._  
  
My bad.

_You've_ _unofficially_ lost it..?

"And you, _G__in,_ understand the risks involved?" Shunsui continued casually.

Seriously what the hell are these risks!?

"I believe in Urahara-san's _current_ case,"

"You've already heard it?" My mouth reacted on instinct as I quickly turned to face the seated captain. The_ only _captain still seated beside Yamamoto himself, who'd gone completely silent following Urahara's arrival, and the sleeping Kenpachi. Even Shunsui, an infamously _lazy _captain, had deigned to stand up.

"Yes, it was a rather interesting tale... If I do say so myself,"

"And is there a reason you've kept something as important as the fall of _Central 46_ to yourself?" I continued on unimpeded.

Gin's mouth seemed to clamp shut at the words, a _startled_ look appearing on his face, though Shunsui's voice quickly filled the room.

"Are you _confirming_ his claim _Future-Sosuke-kun?"_

"Future?" Kisuke chuckled _immediately, _as if he were waiting-

_You need to retreat._ Aizen stated suddenly, the tension from him earlier had disappeared entirely. In it's place was something... _Cold._

What's going on?

_You need to leave. You can't take that test_. You _will_ fail.

_...Why exactly?_

"Aizen-san... Did you tell these _nice_ people you're from the future?" Urahara started, his grin firmly locked onto his face.

_It's a trap. **They're **working with him._ Aizen stated, once again unnervingly calm.

My mind froze at the words as I slowly gazed around, eyeing each captain. Other then Hitsugaya, Byakuya, Komamura and Kaname Tsen who were without a doubt focusing their attention on Kisuke... Their hands hovering near their Zanpakutō. The others were undoubtedly too _calm_. Though Kenpachi was excused given his current nap.

Too calm in front of Kisuke, an exiled captain. Too calm after hearing of Central 46's potential massacre. The very fact only three captains even reacted to the words...

Urahara Kisuke had set this up. Had set _me _up.

And as I momentarily contemplated listening to Aizen and making a run for it... Kisuke went one step ahead too far, and gave me my opening.

"Time-travel is _impossible, _Connecting Space and Time is one thing... Connecting two _Soul Kings,_ even if for but a _moment, _without destroying reality... _That's Impossible._ And seeing as all the worlds are still currently running..." Kisuke glowered, his smirk, without a doubt, genuine.

My own expression changed at the words, and for the first time since I arrived here, there _wasn't _a smile in place.

_"Why don't you use your brain to figure that one out, instead of using it to create stones of mass destruction,"_ I glowered back.

_"_That is enough,_"_ Yamamoto suddenly stated as he slowly rose up.

_You should've run._  
  
Why?

_Because-_

"Given Central 46's inability to judge at the moment, I will be presiding over Urahara Kisuke's re-trial. And considering the implications that will result, no matter the outcome, it's best we get it over and done with _now_. Aizen-Taichou, Do you have any objections?"

_You will not be able to lie, my Zanpakutōs true ability will not go unnoticed under those seals. Kisuke is going to question you on every crime he's convinced I've committed._  
  
Is he wrong?

_That is beside the point, you cannot accept!  
_  
"Alright, but if I am right I get to _weigh in on _his punishment," I answered the _captain-commander_ promptly before turning my attention back to Urahara. "If you're going to waste precious time as it were, you _**will**_ make up for it, _Kisuke-san,"_ I smiled at him, and for the first time since he got here, his confidently calm facade broke. A strained smile appearing in it's place.

_..._

"Very well, captains, if you will," Yamamoto waved a single hand as the rest quickly broke down into a small circle, their Zanpakutōs in hand and alight as Urahara Kisuke and I were 'urged' into the middle.

Kenpachi had been moved to the side.

Honestly why was the guy even here-

_How exactly do you plan on being right!?_ Aizen promptly interrupted me.

Easy.

Strictly speaking, I haven't committed a single crime yet.

...


	10. Interlude: For Want Of A Secret

One thousand years ago the Quincies led by Yhwach, his lord and other half, attacked the Shinigami led by Genryusai Yamamoto.

One thousand years, during the final battle between human and reaper, the Quincy's _retreated_.

One thousand years ago, the Quincy's defeat was all but guaranteed.

It was a misconception, really.

The Shinigami, at the time, had thought them lost and scattered, when in reality, they'd simply settled for plan B.

Their first attempt had truly been a gamble. A _war_ that could've ended either way.

The Shinigami's victorious and his people dead. Or _vice versa_.

Only, the Shinigami had failed to understand there was a third option.

To retreat, and bide their time.

A thousand years ago, in the midst of the battle of _millennium, _his lord had seen it.

The Perfect victory.

The Almighty allowed _himself_ to peak into the future. And, no matter his own status, he would never dare believe himself an equal to his lord.

And with every year that passed, more and more perfect victories popped up, some he'd seen _himself_. More and more reassurances piled on to them. More and more reasons to wait, not that they'd ever really had a choice in the matter given the limits placed on his lord.

Eventually, the number of perfect victories had eclipsed _everything _else. By then, it was only a matter of waiting for the rest of the world to catch up.

And than, in the span of a single hour... _Everything _had changed.

...

Jugram had been taking a stroll through their hidden empire, taking in every being he could see, keeping an eye on the populous so to speak. A routine walk if anything else.

He'd been the first to notice the shift. The surge of reishi that had _erupted_ from his lords private chambers. The surge of reishi that had filled him with despair.

The surge of reishi that had signified Yhwach fully awakening his eyes _before_ their time.

Time had seemed to stand still at that very moment as his mind had run circles around itself wondering why?

After over 900 years of waiting... Why break it now..? Less then a decade shy no less...

And as he'd taken a look around him, taken in the few _obviously _confused Sternritters, he'd realised, with growing horror, that not a single Sternritter in his sight had been affected.

Not a single Sterntitter in sight had lost their powers. _A near impossible miracle in itself truly..._

And before he'd been given any time to process that, rather ominous, fact, his eyes whirled around him the moment he'd felt _far more_ reishi than he'd likely ever seen fill the air. Its sheer volume covered the majority of their empire as if it were in a rush to encompass as much as it could.

Violent, unstable reishi rocked the hidden society. Breaking and _killing _anything stupid or unfortunate enough to get in it's way.

_That _had been the moment a few Sternritter's started dying.

And though it was their own fault for trying to fight against their lord, he could not help the pain that filled him as he watched them be put down.

But even in the midst of carnage, he waited.

For his lord always had a reason for everything he did.

And this was no exception.

For that night he'd learned why.

It, generally, took him _hours_ of using the Almighty, though he'd never dare abuse it in such a way, before seeing a future that threatened them in anyway. The majority of which generally at the hands of the Shinigami's Captain-commander.

That night however, it hadn't been Yamamoto, it had been at the hands of someone else.

But what had frightened him the most hadn't been the different captain. Nor the potential loss...

**_No,_ _it was the sheer quantity, for every future he'd seen had been of a devastating defeat._**

And, as it were, it was this very reason that had truly doomed them all.

For in his haste, he'd done the one thing he'd never dared to before.

In his haste, he'd sent in a Sternritter to _deal_ with it without his lords approval.

In his haste he'd set in stone _the worst possible_ future imaginable.

The one future that, in the past _200 years,_ had only showed up _once._

_The one future his lord had never dared to bring up ever again.  
_

A future that his lord had _personally_ saw to preventing.

In his haste he'd unwittingly brought it back.

Worse yet... It was the _only_ future he could now see.

_Soul Societ- No. For all that it was truly worth to him, at the very least it wouldn't be _their_ victory..._  
****  
In his haste he'd given Aizen Sosuke his Perfect Victory****_._  
  
And perhaps the worst part. The one that most hurt. Is that no one else knew. And following Gremmy's breakdown and subsequent fumbling of reality_._

Given his body's _current_ state_,_ no one else likely ever would.

For just like his fellow Sternritter, he'd been demoted to that of nothing more then a spectator.

**A spectator to _a broken world_.**

**...**


	11. Ch8 Part 1

I copied Urahara's movements, my body thankfully practically on autopilot, as Yamamoto spoke on from beside us. Stating the rules, the system in place, a few laws...

Things I was expected to know and yet that still had to be said. For formality's sake or something.

The trial was pretty simple and usually only actually required a single a captain to oversee.

The first step involved sticking my sword into the ground and... Using my reiatsu to do something with it... Thankfully Aizen was here to help with that! Though he was oddly quiet. Then a captain generally smothered the victim and accused in reiatsu and forced them to tell the truth by... Speaking to their Zanpakutō spirits?

_Communicating with their souls.  
_  
That.

Apparently souls can't lie.

The rules were that we each took a turn to ask a question and the jury, the captains in this scenario, decided who was right... Or something. Yamamoto himself would only intervene near the end, assuming no one had died by then.

Mostly to gather as much information as he could before he asked his own questions.

Either that or the old man secretly hoped they solved themselves first.

Problem here was, there wasn't a captain barring Yamamoto that could actually keep my reiatsu in check. And he had no intention of putting in so much effort for something as trivial as treason.

And well, Urahara Kisuke wasn't exactly_ trustworthy_. You never know which captains are in his pocket.

_No wait... That's me..._

"Oh! I forgot to say this but..." Urahara immediately spoke up the moment Yamamoto finished speaking, just as the Shinigami captains barring Kenpachi Zaraki moved towards their positions. In unison.

I ignored the way three captains suddenly leapt behind me, their swords drawn and held out in front of them as they stopped a few feet behind, faced towards me. Hitsugaya Toshiro and Kanami Tosen flanked Kuchiki Byakuya. To my right a few feet away stood Yamamoto a serene look on his face. To my left just as far, stood Komamura, his helmet hid whatever expression he had. While ahead of me stood Urahara Kisuke. Ukitake and Ichimaru flanked Shunsui just behind him.

"I've got a few witnesses coming aswell, the first one should here soon..."

I raised an eyebrow at the sudden exclamation, the trial had been seconds away from starting.

"Why so surprised?" Urahara grinned opposite me. "It's not every day I get a chance like this..." He remarked somewhat eagerly.

It didn't take long before I realised this just _might_ be a little more difficult then I'd thought.

I held in the sense of dread that had suddenly filled me/Aizen as I smiled warmly towards one prison-clothed _Kuchiki Rukia._

She was surrounded by what looked like Soi-fon's ninja cops?

Said captain just happened to be walking towards us now, just ahead of the small _Anbu _squad.

"Face up _Lieutenant_ Kuchiki," I stated suddenly, winking at the _resigned looking _girl and promptly earning everyone's attention.

To my own surprise, my words seemed to have struck a chord with her as she stiffened and slowly raised her head.

"Don't worry, everything is going to be alright," I stated, _somewhat instinctively_, as I kept the smile on my face, my hand automatically moving as it ruffled her hair the moment she passed by me before she took her position in the centre, right between the two blades pinned into the ground.

"Captain Aizen." My, presumably main, ally-

__You are correct.  
  
\- suddenly cut in, a steel edge to his voice.

"Focus your attention on the current trial at hand." Kuchiki Byakuya all but _ordered_ me not to interfere.

And I could practically see the sudden haze of depression that filled _his_ _wife's sister _at the words. The way the small light that had briefly appeared completely disappeared.

So naturally, I turned towards my assumed biggest supporter and _Kindly stated-_

_"Forgive me for thinking that giving the death sentence to a _lieutenant_ class Shinigami over a damn human is a stupid-ass idea. Even Hollows aren't that stupid! Hell, killing our _**_only_**_ Allies alone is bad enough..."_

The honesty's already kicked in?

And with that, Byakuya gave me a single look over before he promptly moved and took up a place beside Ichimaru Gin.

Urahara Kisuke atleast had the sense not to gloat over it.

Shunsui on the other hand found it rather amusing.

"Ohh... Down to two already and the trial hasn't even started-"

Though unfortunately for him, Ukitake evidently agreed with me as he suddenly decided to switch aswell.

Either that or he just wanted to spite Byakuya.

Still, that put us back to where we started...

Wait... Down to two?

Hang on, if I run out of captains I _lose!?_

I quickly focused my attention back to Urahara Kisuke. Intent on starting the trial, though even I couldn't help blinking the moment I saw Gin's suddenly _pale _face.

And Shunsui's... Hurt one?

"Please begin the trial," Yamamoto suddenly declared, an irritated look to his face as he stared at me.

Hitsugaya oddly enough, seemed to have a hint of triumph in his eyes.

What the hell was going- 

Oh Rukia's crying... Damn... Whoops?

_"Thank you," _She whispered quietly as she fixed her expression, her resolve tightening as she turned towards Urahara Kisuke.

The man kept a passive expression on his face, his smile no longer in sight.

...

"Aizen Sosuke_,_" Urahara started, the passive expression on his face unchanging. "Have you, at any point today, kidnapped and/or removed, in anyway, Miss Kuchiki from her cell?" He drawled. Almost bored with the question itself. Though I could see Byakuya's eyes narrow the slightest.

Rukia herself seemed rather overwhelmed with the number of captains in the room.

_Yes._  
  
I blinked at Aizen's sudden answer.

"No, I did not move Miss Kuchiki from her prison cell, nor did I kidnap her," I tested the words, technically true given Gremmy was the one who moved/kidnapped her. The thing about this trial was that, if you were calm and collected, you actually could _cheat_ it in a way. As long as you gave a truthful answer, ie your own soul believed it, you could say anything. The trick, I think, is to get under the other persons skin, if they're not as calm, like Aizen for example-

__Careful.  
  
-they end up blurting the first truth out immediately.

Urahara evidently wanted to start off light.

I raised an eyebrow at Yamamoto and Komamura, the two nodded their heads the slightest, accepting my answer, before turning back to Urahara. The man's expression hadn't changed the slightest at my answer.

From the Jury, Gin Ichimaru had a strained smile on his face, Shunsui was fully frowning and Byakuya was indifferent.

"Urahara Kisuke," I started off, the real trick here was to make the question as precise as possible. "Don't worry... This is a yes or no question," I remarked, an amused look to my face. He briefly narrowed his eyes at me before fixing his expression.

"Did you or did you not hide the stone of devastating power known as the _Hogyoku_ inside Kuchiki Rukia's Gigai with the hopes of turning her into a human, stripping her of her shinigami abilities permanently?" I questioned calmly. A deadpan look to my face.

...

The first reaction, oddly enough, came from behind me. _From the least expected person no less_.

Kaname Tosen tried and failed to hide the sudden snort as he faked a cough.

Urahara Kisuke blinked a couple of times at the sudden question, his brow furrowing in the process. Behind him I could see Gin's grimace worsen as Byakuya Kuchiki _glared_ at him from behind. Shunsui on the other hand had an utterly unreadable look on his face.

"_No, I did not hide the Hogyoku inside a Gigai,"_

_Wait... What?  
_

__He hid it in her soul,  
  
Ah. My bad.

Even still, as I took a look around, his answer evidently didn't seem to help all that much for some reason. I could still feel the reiatsu building up behind me, from one Ukitake Jushiro.

Rukia had a shell-shocked look on her face as she stared at Urahara Kisuke.

"Where did-"

"It's _Kisuke's_ turn," Shunsui's voice quickly interrupted me surprising me somewhat. I'd expected Urahara to speak up.

"Right, of course..." I nodded, a serene smile on my face.

Urahara's impassive face quickly took my focus as he started speaking.

"_Where is the Hogyoku?"  
_  
__Huaco Mundo  
  
Wait really-

_Focus!_

My smile didn't budge as I _immediately_ responded. "I have absolutely no idea,"

His expression cracked the moment I'd finished speaking. "That's not possi-" Kisuke quickly started on another question before freezing up as soon as the brief wash of killing intent filled the room.

I feel like Ukitake might be a _tad_ biased now.

I tilted my head the slightest as I stared at Urahara's panicked expression. _"Where did you hide the Hogyoku **you created**, Urahara Kisuke?"_

...

The tense silence that followed my question, oddly enough, filled me with glee. Well, filled _Aizen_ with glee. Just ahead of me I could see Urahara clenching and unclenching one of his hands. His eyes locked into mine, refusing to meet anyone else's.

"_Answer the question,"_ Ukitake followed on from behind me.

Urahara took in a deep breath before _damning_ himself entirely.

"In Kuchiki Rukia's soul-"

I quickly raised my hand, attempting to stop the no doubt pissed off Ukita- _And there's a super sharp blade right next to my hand!_  
  
"Jushiro," Yamamoto chose to speak up at the sudden movement, his own glare forcing the man back into his position.

Just ahead of me I can make out the _turmoil_ filling each of the captains behind Urahara Kisuke.

All for no doubt different reasons.

Rukia on the other hand simply had her gaze locked to the ground, her expression hidden. Her shoulders however were no longer slumped while her very presence radiated _fury._

Urahara tentatively looked around the room, his eyes roaming around Ukitake's position before he started speaking again.

"Did you or did you not remove the Hogyoku from Kuchiki Rukia?" Urahara's voice had lost a vast amount of it's edge, the man careful not to set anything off.

_I didn't-_ Aizen's answer was immediately followed by a sense of dread from him.

I kept my expression clear as I answered. "Yes, I did," I answered indifferently. I could see a myriad of different expressions filter through the captains in front of me and before any of them even had a chance to say anything I added on further.  
"But considering Miss Kuchiki had been on the throes of death last time, I'd hardly been left with any other choice,"

I could see, clear as day, the moment Urahara processed all the words as _anger_ filled his face.

"Enough with that-" He'd started speaking, likely about to go on another rant before he was once again quickly quietened by the Captain-commander.

"I've got a different question for you this time," I continued on, as serious an expression I can manage on my face. Evidently my change in tone had set everyone on edge. Even Rukia who'd been under a spell of anger just moments before had seemed to cool down as she turned towards me.

"Tell me, _Kisuke._ If you were given the choice... Between_ helping_ Sereitei or _getting rid of_ me... Between saving the _future,_or _destroying_ me,"

I could practically see the moment his facade shattered, a cold steel look replacing it entirely as Urahara Kisuke directed every bit of anger and fury he held for me at that very moment.

Guess he didn't see this one coming either.

"What would **_you_** choose?"

**...**


	12. Ch8 Part 2

Surprisingly enough, Kisuke didn't even get the chance to answer before Shunsui quickly, his hat covering most of his face, took a few steps forward. Urahara made no reaction as the captain next to him moved past him.

_"We've got a long conversation due after this,"_ The man remarked coolly as he swept past me, quickly sitting down a few feet outside the circle. Kuchiki Rukia an arm's reach away from him.

Urahara didn't spare a single second as he gave his answer.

"I can help Soul Society _by_ destroying you." Urahara Kisuke's words sent a chill down my spine as I looked him in the eye.  
_  
Wow. I mean just wow. He's not even willing to save the future!_

"But you admit, you can't save the future without me?" I remarked, somewhat irritated at the man.

Urahara narrowed his eyes at my words. Both anger and a hint of confusion captured his expression. He looked, somewhat lost...

Gin took that moment to quickly switch sides aswell, his footsteps unheard as he shifted. I briefly turned to raise an eyebrow at him.

"What? I agreed to getting exiled... _That ain't where he's headed,"_ Gin _sniffed_.

_Cold-hearted snake. Plain and simple._

__Indeed.  
  
Aizen you're not allowed near any ladders of any kind.  


Which currently left only Byakuya, the man's grief stricken face had long dissipated to the cold-hearted Shinigami Byakuya pretended to be. Though from the way he was looking at Kisuke...

_I seriously doubt he's still an ally..._

__Byakuya stopped treating this as a trial a while ago,  
  
Well. Ain't that ominous-  


"Look, you know what? I don't care if you are from 'thee' future. Answer this! _How many crimes has Aizen Sosuke committed!**?**_" Urahara Kisuke's question, quite frankly, came at me like a _sucker_ punch.

...

_374._ Aizen helpfully answered... A hint of pride filling me in the process no less.

I stared back, my expression not budging. I could see the small glint in Urahara's eye as he waited. He didn't look the least bit concerned that he'd lost all but one captains support. A captain that probably wanted to kill him no less.

"You're going to have to be more specific,"

_Is that including Hollows and Humans?_

__Why would I include those two?  
  
Okay then.  


"Aizen-Tai-" _Hitsugaya_ suddenly started in alarm at my wording. Though Urahara had no intention of letting up on such a chance as he flared his reiatsu forcing the rest of the captains, even Shunsui, into concentration.

"_How many Shinigami has Aizen Sosuke killed!?"_ Urahara practically roared the end of the sentence, the hints of a grin hidden beneath his hat's shadow.

_298._

I could feel the tension build up around me, as for the first time in the entire trial, everyone was focused on me. _For worse_.

I quickly got rid of the smile on my face and answered.

"_Hundreds,"_

_What are you doi-_

And before anyone could so much as lift a finger, I continued on.

"It was either that, _or let them run **rabid** across what had been left of Seireitei," _I stated dispassionately.

Urahara's face twisted as he quickly took in the rest of the captains expressions. "You can't seriously believe-" His words however froze as he himself realised the futility of questioning such a thing during _this _trial.

"They took the Bankais first... Then the lives... and before long when _they_ ran out of even that... They twisted them... _Controlled them_ in their deaths," I finished, my gaze focused away from Urahara, locked instead with the Captain-Commander himself, particularly the hidden blade he generally kept as his walking stick.

__You know it... You know of his Bankai..!  
  
...Whoops...  
  
...

...

I kept my gaze locked with the captain-commander, even as he flared out his reiatsu, only earlier during my now _clearly_unnecessary beating, I _didn't _feel a looming sense of incoming death.

My spider sense so to spea-

**My AS-SENSE! **   
  
_...You are lowering your chance of survival if/when I get my body back.  
_   
_What's my survival rate sitting at right now?_

__...  
  
Judging by my Assense-

__If you ever repeat that word again, the next time you're alone with Gin, I am not interfering.  
  
But it's your body!

__Try me.  
  
My AS-sense believes you.

_Aizen?_

_Shit.  
_

Yamamoto's reiatsu quickly brought me out of my musing as it shifted the slightest, feeling somewhat heavier.

"Byakuya-" the old man started informally, to my own surprise, his expression seemed... Rattled? The other captains seemed to notice the shift in demeanour as they straightened themselves up.

_Aizen seriously what''s going on?_

"-What is your verdict?" Yamamoto questioned quickly.

"Already?" Shunsui exclaimed in surprise himself. I felt the same, I was told these trials tended to have _hundreds_ of questions...

Byakuya showed no reaction as he put a hand on his zanpakuto. "I have not made my judgement,"

_Seriously? Was he that bothered about the laws?_  
  
"Is there a particular reason?" Yamamoto questioned, somewhat irritated.

"Yes,"

I winced at the sudden flare from the old man, I ignored the way the other captains were practically brought to their _knees._

Byakuya didn't even _react._ It definitely must've hurt him, but _he didn't care._

"What is this reason?"

The Kuchiki captain slowly turned his gaze towards Rukia. "This trial cannot end without my verdict. **_I am waiting for him to dig as deep a hole as he can. So long as I am here Urahara Kisuke is at my mercy!" _**Kuchiki Byakuya _snarled_, his zanpakuto held out, pointed directly to the, somewhat _pale_, ex-captain. And then everyone felt it. Kuchiki Byakuya's reiatsu filled the room. As if his very soul had shown itself.

__"Damn..." _I replied on reflex. A clear look of shock on my face. Shock that only grew when I realised that I had no other response to _Byakuya's _answer._

_You wanna hear the kicker? _Absolutely no one reacted to my slip.__

Though I am still fairly sure that's not legal...

Still the sheer _bloodlust_ that had filled the room had _my unwlling landlord, Aizen Sosuke, in sheer terror._

_Urahara's probably pissing himself right now!_

__Apology accepted.  
  
Cool.  


"Your resilience knows no bounds it seems, Aizen-Taichou," Kuchiki's, surprisingly _soothing,_ voice quickly brought me out of my musing. There was even a hint of a smile on the man's face as he stared towards me, a strange look I failed to understand on his face.

When his words registered, I blinked as I took a look around though I didn't notice anything off or different besides the fact everyone seemed to be on edge with the way they'd drawn their swords...

"You understand that so long as you are on that side, you will be accepting the same punishment." Yamamoto continued undeterred.

Byakuya turned his gaze from the wary _criminal_ in front of him towards the Captain-commander.

"I am choosing to ignore that law. Everyone else seems to be doing the same,"

_Aizen... I think I just found our new bestfriend._

_...What did I do to deserve you? What crime was too far?  
_   
_Buddy, you really don't want to know._

__We are not friends. But yes, you're right, I'd much prefer to know about Bankais,  
  
No. But seeing as you said I am right again... Does this mean I've finally upgraded to a broken clock?  


Aizen's frustration was the only answer I got as I turned back to the trial at hand. Apparently it was still on... Though Kisuke didn't look like he wanted to play anymore.

...

Urahara briefly kept his eyes on the only and clearly biased captain supporting him before he turned back towards the man who'd ruined his life. The one currently outmanoeuvring him at every single turn without pause. He took in a deep breath as he minutely turned his gaze towards the restless captain-commander.

For whatever reason, the man seemed adamant on ending this early. Urahara briefly considered signalling Yoruichi into taking his Zanpakuto, as the trial prevented him from removing it, before his gaze locked onto Aizen's _utterly amused_expression and promptly squashed the thought

"Aizen-_taichou-"_ he grit his teeth at the word, his eyes showing his distaste, "-how about we speed this up? I doubt the commander would mind all that much," he forced the grin on his face as he finished.

"Sure, why not?" Aizen's remark only seemed to aggravate him all the more. The bastard wasn't even taking him seriously...

Urahara took in another deep breath before he focused his attention fully on the monster before him... The damn bastard clearly wanted to entertain notions of being from the future. So be it, he'll play along.

"Are you truly from the future?" He questioned passively. Almost expecting the answer. His mind briefly wondered what crime Aizen intended to try and pin him with ne-

"Yes, have you slept with Yoruichi?"

Urahara's brain, for a moment, seemed to glitch out at the question before he, suddenly though very briefly, considered _screaming_ out for the entire _realm_ to hear.

"Why! Do! You! Want! To! Know!? How does that have anything to do with this!?" He barely managed to get out through grit teeth.

Aizen Sosuke _shrugged_.

Urahara looked forward to the day he could skin the bastards fac-

_'Wow!' _he suddenly thought to himself, entirely uncomfortable with the road he'd suddenly found himself on. His gaze briefly turned back towards Aizen Sosuke's _still smiling_ face before he realised, with growing horror, what the man's plan was...

_Likely was... _He'd found his confidence on how much he truly knew about the man wavering.

...

-Not-Aizen-

_Jeez, Urahara did not take that well. _

_Do you truly not see what you're doing?_ Aizen questioned me. Surprising me somewhat.

"Answer the question," Another voice joined the fray. Unsurprisingly enough, it was Soifon's.

__Every single one of you is a moron. Can truly none of Seireitei's finest feel that?  
  
Feel what?  
  
"Stay out of this Soifon!" Urahara suddenly turned, his hand dramatically pointing, a stern expression on his face, towards the only female captain in the room.

_ For one thing, the old man's impatience. _

I blinked as I turned to look towards the Captain-commander, finding his eyes closed, his reiatsu was oddly none-existe-

_I am inside it aren't I? That's why I can't feel anything.  
_  
_Well done. I am _**thoroughly**_ impressed._  
__  
Prick.

I appraised Yamamoto's current stance and deduced that _atleast_ one captain-class Shinigami was probably going to die tonight.

And then, the man opened his eyes, only to find my own looking at him. I could see a glint form quickly as the old man, to my own confusion and Aizen's further _annoyance, _seemed to _calm_ down? His shoulders sagged the slightest, as his expression turned passive and focused back on the trial at hand.

_You are without a doubt _the_ biggest moron I've ever seen... You've truly eclipsed my lieutenant..._

_... Thanks?_  
  
"You still haven't answered by the way Kisuke, everyone's waiting on you," I remarked quickly.

**_Seeping crest of turbidity. Arrogant vessel of lunacy! Boil forth and deny! Grow numb and flicker! _**Aizen suddenly exclaimed into my head breaking my focus in the process.

I quickly took a look around my surroundings. _Aizen what are you doing? What's going on?_

**_Disrupt sleep! Crawling queen of iron! Eternally self-destructing doll of mud! Unite! _**Aizen added on undeterred as my eyes widened.

_An enemy? Where?_ I quickly turned back towards Urahara Kisuke, the mans own expression of bemusement mirrored, for the first time that, the rest of the captains.

**_Repulse! Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness!_** Aizen seemed to finish at the end and before I even knew it I suddenly, _instantly_, received or perhaps the memory was simply unlocked? Regardless he gave me the name of what he was trying to cast.

It was then and there, I saw it, just behind Kisuke, the entrance to the exit wide open. Far in the distance I could make out a _twinkle_ of something?

"I am not answering that questio-" Urahara started...

I barely paid any attention to him as I simply crossed my arms and finished Aizen's kido spell for him.

"**Hadō #90. Kurohitsugi!" (Black Coffin) **

It was _immediate_, the captains all quickly got into a fighting stance as they each moved away though the darkness I'd summoned was faster as it quickly covered every single one of us inside between it's walls. just in time for the absolutely devastating blast of reiatsu that had suddenly crashed into the wall of darkness just behind Urahara Kisuke's frozen position. The man hadn't managed to move a muscle due to the sudden strain from the trial due to my own outburst.

The attack had almost managed to _crack_ through the lvl 90, _fully powered,_ hado.

I could see the supposedly unbelievably durable wall quickly start crumbling.

And I was frankly breathless, I panted trying to catch it to no avail at the sudden large depletion in reiatsu.

Still, wonder why Yamamoto looks so surprised? Wasn't that why he'd started panicking earlier?

I briefly turned towards Urahara before frowning when I couldn't make out the man's expression. He was staring away towards the source, likely wondering who that had come from.

Still, after having seen that Kido, I could, truly honestly say that.

_Having superpowers is _so_ awesome!_

_...I cannot believe my life is in your hands...  
_  
_I'd say its in _better _hands._

_..._

Aizen apparently had no response to that.

...


	13. Ch8 Interludes

...

Elsewhere, while the captains _secret_ meeting/trial went on. A sole figure clothed in white stood in the middle of the barren section. It'd been filled with Shinigami but a few minutes ago. _One of which had been a captain himself_.

How unfortunate for them.

"Ishida-Kun!" The female voice from earlier suddenly called out the moment he'd returned from the _other_ dimension. The current resting place of _most _of the Shinigami they'd encountered here.

Having already figured out from _his_ memories who this particular orange haired girl was earlier, before they'd had the unfortunate run in with that _disgusting_ Shinigami that called himself a _scientist_.

Though he won't be a problem any longer.

"What happened to them?" The girl questioned in a harrid voice, her head rapidly turning side to side.

"There's no need to worry about_ them_," He remarked easily as he instinctively turned his face, so as not to alarm the girl with his, without a doubt, new right _almighty _eye.

Ishida Uryu, the current _unstable _host to the _mental _half of Yhwach kept a passive expression on his face as he minutely turned towards the flaring reiatsu in the horizon, he could not risk staying in this world too long... His spiritual half was no doubt causing problems for his empire this very instant... He knew Jugram had neither the mental capabilities nor the body to hold his full power. But seeing as he was here and his current host wasn't _entirely_ useless... Though how he was going to fix the main issue in the end... Even he, the emperor of the Quincy, was uncertain.

"Come," He stated dispassionately, though he was somewhat mollified the girl seemed to follow orders well enough.

From the moment _Aizen Sosuke_ had started reappearing in his visions... _Everything_ had gone to hell.

And every second wasted _counted_.

...

-Huaco Mundo-

Barragan huffed, an action long forgotten to the aged hollow, as he focused every bit of willpower he could manage. He forced every drop of reiatsu out from his outstretched hands into the _crumbling_ wall of energy that held Ulquiorra's wave of _destructive_ javelins at bay.

The _Espada_ himself, _still_ in his unreleased state, stood a mere 100 feet away, a bored look on his face as he directed wave after wave of energy javelins with his mind.

A _single_ one could leave a scar on their world.

Ulquiorra was throwing _hundreds _at him and if it hadn't been for his own power, he would've long joined his _fraccion.  
_  
"Did you not say you would force me into unsheathing my sword?" _The fourth Espada had the nerve to say.  
_  
He wasn't sure what had happened to his home. But he'd be damned if he was going to roll over for that _upstart_.

Aizen Sosuke had been one thing.

_Coyote Stark _was another.

Still, there had been one benefit to it all at the very least.

"I _will!"_ Barragan snarled, earning nothing but a single raised eyebrow.

"I am waiting," The damn _bat _had the nerve to state before, to his further rage, _he stopped_ the onslaught of energy.

Barragan raised his axe without skipping a beat, his reiatsu flaring out in its entirety.

"You'll regret those words Schiffer!_** Resurrection: Segunda Etapa!"**  
_

Ulquiorra watched on, mild interest growing, as Barragan revealed his trump card. Out of all the +Espada, the traitor's had been the only one he had yet to see. He watched on impassively as the hollows darkness swept out to every corner, though surprisingly enough, it _didn't _age/rot anything it touched.

Barragan himself seemed unchanging, signifying it as an external ability. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes the moment the dark energy started to simply... _Dissipate?  
_  
He quickly focused back on the, _now grinning, _traitor_.  
_  
"Wake up you useless fools-" The _mad_ man's words caused the very the space around them to twist as formerly _dead_hollows slowly started to reform.

Ulquiorra quickly narrowed his eyes as he, in the span of a second, unsheathed his blade. He held the blade with a single hand, his body crouched as he pulled it back behind him. Ahead of him, Barragan's skeleton head minutely twitched towards him, catching sight of his sudden movement. **He quickly amped his reiatsu up _three_ stages** as he swiped his sword diagonally in front of him.

"Messing with the balance is punishable by death," He stated calmly as he rose back up. A sigh escaping him as he watched on, impassively, as his slash reaped a hole in the space before him, and unleashed a blanket of energy that covered the entire battleground... The previously reforming hollows taken into the storm of energy and covered with their self-proclaimed _king. _

He wasn't worried about the sudden storm of reiatsu that whirled around indiscriminately, it would eventually dissipate out.

Barragans attempt at resurrecting dead hollows however would not go unnoticed... Who knew what kind of alarms had gone off...

...

_Barragan's eyes hadn't even had the chance to widen when he'd seen the arc of dark energy appear in front of him. It had collided and shattered his reiatsu before his power had even had the chance to kick in. The arc had quickly enveloped him and he knew no more._   
  
**...  
**

Josh Groban relaxed his head on the head of his chair lazily as he stared at Ulquiorra's passive expression.

"I see, you believe them to have noticed?"

Ulquiorra nodded his head passively.

Josh Groban contemplated the response before a small smile filled his face. _"Why don't we take a look, perhaps _he's _with them now..."  
_  
Ulquiorra raised a single eyebrow before sucking in a breath as he watched the reiatsu in the air suddenly fluctuate. Slowly but surely, his eyes widened minutely as the reiatsu's very _nature_ twisted. The free-flowing energy slowly condensed itself into what looked like a table-sized mirror.

Ulquiorra said nothing as the mirror's reflection showed off another world. Showed off a room filled with Captains, and the commander himself.

"Who..?" Ulquiorar questioned, intrigue plain on his face. "_How are you linking to them?"  
_  
Josh Groban lazily smiled at the question as he waved a hand before he quickly stiffened when the mirror's view slowly turned to show one of his, if not his _main_, mortal _enemies._  
  
He barely restrained the anger as he eyed the familiar hat he'd long grown to dread. The familiar blonde hair that could send him into rage within a matter of moments.

Without stating a single word, Josh Groban raised one of his pistols and fired.

...

He made no reaction to the man surviving. Kisuke had always been good at _that._

No, it was the one responsible for saving him that _concerned_ him.

"Perhaps it's time I introduced myself_..._" He stated passively.

Ulquiorra nodded at the words, indifferent. "Who would you like me to send?'"

...

-Ishida Uryu- (This and the previous section happened within seconds of each other)

_Uryu Ishida,_ turned his bow the slightest, as his reishi slowly condensed itself, concentrating into a single point as he aimed towards the distance. His _right_ eye's enhanced vision gave him the perfect angle. He squinted the eye in an attempt to make out the silhouette of the two captains in the middle, the rather sizeable chunk of the reiatsu surrounding them signifying his target as it swarmed around him.

"Ishida-kun-"

"Orihime-san, as I said, I am working on it,"

The girl nodded solemnly, a worried look on her face as she tried to make out anything through the binoculars she'd found on their way.

He focused as much reishi as he could manage without breaking his _host_. And just as he was about to fire, his eyes widened minutely at the sudden surge of reiatsu that had appeared out of thin air, warping space without care. A _huge_ blast of unbelievably _malevolent energy _suddenly shot out of hole in reality, headed straight towards the building housing the captains. Energy that made his very skin _crawl._

His own eyes briefly widened as he felt another flare of reiatsu come out of the building, though he couldn't make out what had occurred once it had gone in. Given the building hadn't been vaporised by the sudden blast of reiatsu however, they were likely still alive...

Aizen Sosuke and living, unsurprisingly enough, wasn't a concept the Emperor of the Quincy's felt appropriate.

And so, just as he'd been about to take aim once again, he suddenly felt the spike of reiatsu _behind _him. He immediately turned around, his gaze landing on one Unohana Retsu, signifying it as _one of those _futures.

He sighed as he turned his body fully, the orange haired girl beside him doing the same as she took a few steps back behind him.

Well, it's not like he was going to need her anymore.

"Hello-" The familiar woman started, a glint in her eye, just as he raised his hands, his spiritual bow forming-

Though he never got far before the woman had released the majority of her reiatsu. The heavy pressure quickly forcing his _weak_ body into it's knees. The orange haired girl had been _knocked_ out cold.

"_Attacking a captain is a crime punishable by death," _Unohana stated passively as she stared at the Quincy. "Tell me, where is Captain Mayuri? His Reiatsu disappeared the moment it'd run into your own..." She followed on as she narrowed her eyes.

Yhwach ignored the words as he slowly drifted off. Waiting for the moment he would reach his _next, _likely far more efficient, host.

He was to get the new body _soon._

_Kurosaki Ichigo would do until he figured out how to reverse Gremmy's _utter _stupidity._  
_  
**...**_

-Ichigo Kurosaki-

Ichigo ignored the wince of pain that racked his body, the wound on his leg worsening as he leapt from one roof to the other. He'd long left his friends in the dust in his mad dash to Rukia. His sword gleamed in the light as he made another massive leap forward.

He scanned the ground before him quickly, his eyes widening momentarily when he caught a glimpse of _Ishida,_ right beside him was the woman that had disappeared earlier, in the white tower, and left him with those shinigami. He narrowed his eyes as he dropped down beside the two, catching the woman off-guard.

Ishida on the other hand seemed to suddenly wake out of his stupor the moment he'd landed.

"Kurosaki!" Ishida's eyes widened at seeing him, a strange glow came out of his eye... Probably some Quincy nonsense. "What are you doing here!?" His classmate continued.

Ichigo had been abut to answer before his eyes caught sight of Orihime's limp body. Red briefly coloured his vision before he realised the girl was simply unconscious.

"How are you here... I left you with _six_ lieutenants..." The woman remarked, a surprised look on her face.

Ichigo rose to his full height before he brandished his sword, pointing it towards the woman before him.

_"If you get in my way, I'll add a captain to that list," _He stated as he started gathering reiatsu.

"No!" Ishida's shout promptly broke his concentration as he suddenly turned his head in time to see Uryu reach a glowing hand out towards him.

When the boy's hand connected, Ichigo briefly felt an impending sense of doom before he felt a heavy presence fill his mind.

For a moment, he struggled as whatever Ishida had done tried to _force_ him to obey. He briefly grabbed his head from the strain before he felt it. The feeling had started in his stomach. He felt something, almost soothing, _fill his chest._  
  
And then he and the entity promptly started screaming as he held his head with a vice grip. His eyes widening as his voice echoed out.

...

The screaming didn't actually last that long, as the moment the pain had started, he'd felt the entity that attacked him slowly start _leaking_ out of him. The pain increasing in intensity as it went on.

He could feel the strain on his lungs as he struggled to breath, just above he could make out, in his peripheral, the darkness leaking out of him slowly condense. When he raised his head to take a better look at it, his eyes widened at the mangled creature that stared back at him, a hungry look in it's eyes.

He didn't even notice the arrival of the other captains as he watched the _writhing _creature reach a hand out towards him. Ichigo tried to will his body to move but for some unearthly reason he found it _frozen_. The feeling worsened as he started to feel _something_ leave him.

Ichigo could do naught but hold his head as the pain intensified further and to his shock the mangled creature's body slowly started to change in shape.

"What the hell is_ Huya _doing here!?" He heard someone say, though he couldn't discern the voice from anywhere as he closed in on himself, his pain intensifying.

When he raised his head one last time, his expression quickly turned to shock as he took in the familiar form of his own zanpakuto spirit! "Zangetsu..?"

The spirit in question focused it's _hungry_ gaze on him as it reached out another hand. Ichigo's eyes widened as he aimlessly wondered if it was the end...

He doubted the Shinigami would help him after everythi-

And then he appeared before him, an easygoing grin on his face though there was a hint of worry aswell.

"Yo Huya! My name is Aizen Sosuke! Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu!" The man exclaimed _excitedly, _the kind of excitement you had when you opened an unexpected gift...

And, though Ichigo didn't realise it. To _both_, Ryoka and brown-haired captain's shock, a myriad of colours suddenly burst out of the blade's tip, the light colliding into the, _almost complete_, manifestation of his Zanpakuto spirit. Though the face, looked _somewhat _different.

And then Zangetsu... Or as the Shinigami Captain before him called him, _Huya_, screamed alone... As the edge of his cloak? Shadows? Edge of his robe? Suddenly started to _rot_ away. Ichigo barely even noticed the other captains that had arrived with the one that had saved his life. He barely even noticed _Rukia _with them as he watched. Transfixed.

"Damn you... _Damn you..! This isn't over... You hear me!? Aizen Sosuke! I, if it is the very last damned thing I do, _**_WILL KILL YOU!" _**Huya's scream echoed out as the space started to distort around the edges as more and more of the reiatsu simply started _disappearing_. A bright light flashed as holes in space started to _knit_ itself back together, before disappearing entirely.

"Yes... Well, best of luck," The captain stated, a deadpan look on his face.

Ichigo released the breath he'd been holding as he fell to the ground, wincing the slightest as his back hit the ground. He felt... Oddly lighter. He held his blade morosely for a moment before to his own surprise, he felt _something _flicker through his mind. When he raised his gaze, he found the brown haired captain staring at him with an amused look on his face.

"What the hell just happened?" He questioned, somewhat bemusedly, his eyes briefly looking to his blade.

The man seemed to appraise him for a second before his smiled seemed to widen. "Oh... I think I might've, for lack of a better phrase, just saved the world... But... Knowing my luck he's probably going to come back... Oh sorry, I am rambling. My name's Aizen Sosuke,"

Ichigo briefly kept the gaze as he slowly stood up. "So I've heard, Kurasaki Ichigo," He remarked holding a hand out.

The captain seemed to stare at it with a look of amusement for a moment causing Ichigo to worry the slightest before, to his pleasant surprise, the man grabbed it. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Ichigo blinked before he released the mans hand and rubbed the back of his head. "Right... Say you kno- Rukia!" Ichigo suddenly realised the girl had been standing right next to and talking, rather cordially for that matter, _the first captain he'd encountered..._. He made to run towards the girl before to his own surprise, he realised she wasn't even wearing her cuffs. In fact... She looked-

As if she'd noticed his gaze, and definitely heard his voice, she gave him a simple smile before she pointed towards the brown-haired captain...

"By the way, Ichigo, you might wanna keep Urahara away from your siblings!" Aizen's voice suddenly caught his attention.

_..._


	14. Ch9 Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts before the end of the last interlude in the previous update. Basically starts just after Aizen uses the lvl 90 Hado.

...

Urahara Kisuke stared ahead towards the _destroyed_ entrance. The blast of reiatsu had _vaporised_ everything on its way. His attention shifted towards the crumbling walls of _Black Coffin. _His mind, for the moment, filing away the fact Aizen had done what Kido Masters could only _dream_ of. Instead, he found _some_solace in the fact Aizen had used one of the most, if not the most, offensive kido as a defensive measure. It had been the first and only moment he'd acted like himself.

Unfortunately that solace was smothered with the fact _Aizen had saved his life._ That attack had been aimed for him specifically. Though Aizen's use of kido may have momentarily slowed him down... _That attack... The moment he'd laid eyes on it he'd froze..._

He ignored the way his hand minutely shook as he forced his expression to show nothing. His mind going in a circle as it returned back to the fact _Aizen had saved his life._

Urahara Kisuke couldn't help the sense of dread that filled him at the thought. He slowly turned his head around, expecting the worst before to his further shock, he found _him_ just staring at him! The same damn smile on his face!

_"You alright Kisuke?" _The words sent him for a loop as he felt the world around him spin.

_What on earth was going with today!? What game are you playing!?_ He all but roared into his own mind as he forced a smile on his face.

"Yes, yes 'appreciate the save there-" He could hardly believe the words coming out of his mouth.

As he took the rest of the captains expression. From the shocked expressions that painted Shunsui's and Soi-fon's face, to the sheer awe that painted Hitsugaya's, Ukitake and... He held the wince that threatened to come out when his eyes landed on Rukia's... He still couldn't believe how Aizen had twisted that... Still, when his eyes landed on Gin, oddly enough, he _finally_ found an expression that truly merited the situation.

_Pure utter fear._

_Atleast one captain knows what's going on..._ He found himself thinking. He turned towards the entrance, completely ignoring the way the shinigami suddenly shifted.

"Well, not to say this hasn't been fu-" Urahara started as his mind worked on autopilot as he faced the exit. He quickly ducked his head the moment he'd felt _Byakuya's _reiatsu move towards him, barely avoiding the man's blade. He could already see the other captains move to release their blades.

Byakuya raised his blade, intent on bringing it down before, to his utter annoyance, he felt someone's leg crash against his knee, a second foot followed as it crashed against his cheek sending him flying, in an arc, across the room.

"Nice timing!" Urahara Kisuke remarked as he slowly pulled his body back up.

"What the hell is going on Kisuke!?" _Yoruichi,_ yelled out as she quickly pulled his Zanpakuto out of the floor.

Kisuke _shrugged, _he frankly was rather clueless on the matter, as he pivoted on the spot, grabbing Yoruichi and pulling her to the side and out of the way of Hitsugaya's swipe. The young captain not wasting a beat as he pulled his blade back and pointed a finger towards them. The beginning of an incantation on his lips.

Yoruichi, however, gave him no chance as she landed on both her feet, passing him his _Benihime_ and dashing off the ground away from the miniature captain as she held a grip to the back of his coat. He himself raised his zanpakuto and pointed it towards Hitsugaya and his building reiatsu as she pulled him across weaving through Byakuya's _petals _in the process_._

"_Awaken, Benihime!" _Urahara roared as Yoruichi suddenly stopped on her dash, his feet quickly hitting the ground as he balanced himself before swiping up with his released blade. "Tsuppane, Benihime!" He continued on the moment he'd analysed Hitsugaya's incoming _Hado. _The generated circle of energy impacting with the _surprised_ captain's kido, cancelling it out on contact. He briefly winced when he suddenly felt an enormous push against his back, courtesy of Yoruichi. Turning his head the slightest, he found _Komamura _currently locked fist to fist with the woman.

Urahara quickly swiped his sword over his head, "Shibari, Benihime!" He echoed out as crimson reiatsu suddenly condensed into a net over the helmeted captain.

Komamura, on seeing the attack, quickly jumped a few spaces back, though to his surprise, Yoruichi gave it no reaction as she suddenly leapt of the ground towards him. Her foot stretched out as it crashed into his stomach causing stars to fill his vision. The woman immediately flash stepping away as _another_ net of crimson energy suddenly filled his view.

Urahara stood back to back with the woman as three captains, not including the, downed and incapacitated, two, circled them. Hitsugaya, Byakuya and Ukitake. And just behind the latter one, was an amused Aizen Sosuke. The man just now having decided to pick up his sword and use it to cut-

He stifled the sigh as he pointedly ignored the fact Aizen Sosuke decided _Kuchiki Rukia's cuffed hands were more important than him_.

"Interrupting this trial is punishable by death, _Shihoin Yoruichi_, but you knew that already," Byakuya remarked as he moved side to side before _rapidly_ closing the distance between them. Though fast, unfortunately not fast enough as Yoruichi's leg suddenly proved-

Urahara's eyes widened as he felt the sudden grip on his leg, his head snapping down only to find _Komamura's hand._

...

Komamura quickly pulled the captain up by his feet, his arm pulling itself back as he braced himself and promptly _smashed_him into the ground. His body exploding with a massive pop-

"That was a close one!" Urahara exclaimed from his place behind the basket captain. He'd been just about to once again engage the captain before him before he _felt _it.

_Before they all felt it. _

An earth-shattering roar suddenly echoed across the entire realm, though the more immediate concern was the, twisted, malevolent Reiatsu that suddenly _cried _out. A reiatsu he _recognised, _and yet at the same time didn't... And judging by Kuchiki Rukia's sudden expression, so did she.

_"Finally..." _Aizen suddenly remarked as he shook his head the slightest bit.

Urahara ignored the shiver that went down his spine at the word as he realised that was likely what Aizen had been waiting for... _And for it to be important enough to save his life..._

...

_"Finally..." I am not sure why they _ _decided_ _ to _ _finally_ _ stop fighting over that but I am certainly not going to complain!  
_  
_...I am not even surprised anymore._

...

**-Kaname Tosen-**

Justice is unpredictable.

Those had been the final words. The final nails in the coffin before he'd turned.

The words that, while confusing at the time, had intrigued him enough to offer his own cooperation.

"Finally..." Aizen's voice echoed out, though he paid him no mind as he focused on controlling himself.

He pointedly held in the snort when he felt the continued flare of reiatss coming out of Kisuke, Yoruichi, Gin and of course, Kyoraku. All of them desperately trying to figure out a way to turn the tables. To try and salvage what pieces they might have left.

They all no doubt thought this was his true move.

None of them seemed to have realised, that from the very beginning, they'd never been on a level field.

Aizen's first move had come as a shock to all of them. A move so unpredictable, even he and Gin hadn't seen it coming, so insane, none of them were able to process it, let alone react appropriately.

The man's first move had been to flip the damn table.

Truly... The path, much like the man himself, to Justice was unpredictable.

He finally understood what he'd meant.

Finally realised the solution had been in front of him all this entire time.

"Now, if you kids could control-" Tosen quickly tensed his muscles when he felt the sudden flare of reiatsu from Kisuke smother the room. Had it not been for the fact Aizen continued on speaking without missing a beat, he would've released his blade. "-yourselves for five minutes, I can go try fix-" Whatever the man been about to say however suddenly cut off as the smallest reiatsu in the room suddenly disappeared, no doubt finding the odds of everyone remaining cordial slim. Her priorities clearly shown.

Though he couldn't see Aizen's face, he, oddly enough, found himself imagining a deadpan expression on it...

"You know what? She's got a point." Aizen suddenly remarked as he promptly decided to ignore the mess he'd created, the mess that as of this point could be blamed on literally anyone but Aizen, and simply sped off, presumably after Kuchiki Rukia.

...

It didn't take long after that before everyone else followed. Kuchiki Byakuya practically on Aizen's tail as his struggle with wanting to destroy Kisuke and protecting his sister in law from the Ryoka and whatever that surge of reiatsu was ended. Yamamoto and Shunsui had been next before, to no one's surprise, Kisuke and Yoruichi left aswell. In the opposite direction. The rest of the captains barring Gin and the still sleeping Kenpachi, quickly followed them. Though he personally doubted any chance of success in that department.

And so, given the only two in the room were a sleeping captain and his colleague. Kaname Tosen finally released the sigh he'd been holding in throughout the entire trial and raised his head and laughed. Pure utter joy filling the room. He could feel Gin's sudden flare of Reiatsu as the captain quickly took a few steps back.

"Subarashi! Aizen!" Kaname cackled as he held his head with his hands, his laughter pouring out almost endless. (Wonderful)

He simply couldn't help it.

"You know... You're the last person I'd expect to accept... Perverting justice like that..." Gin remarked warily as he stared at the chuckling captain. He'd never seen such an expression from the man.

Kaname evidently found the words funny as he snorted. "Justice is unpredictable, Gin-taichou. You can only prepare so much... Sometimes you have to force it,"

Gin processed the words, a frown filling his face. "What about forcing it is unpredictable?"

"Why, the process itself of course... Aizen just proved that it works... That the only thing that truly matters is the end result." Tosen answered.

Gin took a few steps forward towards the dark-skinned captain, his eyes opened the slightest. "Then that would make us no better than them! Make you no better than him!" He snarled when he was within earshot. His frown deepening when Tosen made no reaction besides simply turning his head the slightest towards him.

"Open your eyes Gin, we already aren't," Tosen replied, an indifferent look to his face, before he flash-stepped elsewhere.

...

** -Aizen- **

I wasn't necessarily surprised to find myself quickly outspeeding Rukia as I suddenly landed on the roof of one of the squad barracks-

I furrowed my brow at the sudden thought before ignoring it completely. I quickly took a look around the room, finding Ishida and Orihime on the floor likely knocked out. Unohana Retsu was on the other side, evidently having not noticed me, her Zanpakuto held out in front as a miniature wall of green reiatsu fluctuated in front of her. In the centre, Ichigo was on his knees, his head held up as Reiatsu leaked out of him, a cloud of darkness filled the air above him. The moment my eyes landed on the face that was forming, they quickly widened.

What the hell is Yhwach doing here!? My brain temporarily froze as, for likely the first time since I got here, my own genuinedread coursed through me, the feeling intensifying as Aizen, for some reason, quickly joined me.

Unfortunately my mouth didn't get the memo. "What the hell is Huya doing here!?"

I barely noticed the others arrival as in that moment, Ichigo called out for his fake Zanpakuto spirit while an idea quickly filled itself in my head. The feeling of dread lessening dramatically-

_Oh my god you trust my judgement!_

_Not even if Kisuke won._

My body, regardless of Aizens 'hurtful' admission,-

_ ... _

-quickly responded as I suddenly found myself between the boy on his knees and the swirling face/void of darkness.

"Yo Huya!-"

_Why do you keep calling him that!?_

"-My name is Aizen Sosuke! Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu!" I remarked, my sword stretched out. I wasn't sure why Yhwach was here, but I'll be damned if I didn't get him under complete hypnosis.

_Figured he'd get pissed if I used the wrong honorific._

Before Aizen could even respond to that however, both of our attention spans, his marginally smalle-

_Tread carefully._

-aswell as Keanu Reeve- Yhwach's were quickly taken. Distracting him from Absorbing Ichigo's soul-

_You're making way too many assumptions!_

-Regardless, the moment I'd finished saying the release my blade quickly started glowing, runic scripture suddenly encrypting itself onto the steel itself.

_Umm... Aizen, is this you?_ I questioned internally though given the sudden sense of dread that filled me, I am assuming not-

_Figure it out._

_Wow. You have got to learn to let things go._

_That is an impossibility with you._

I briefly turned my attention focus towards my blade when the the scripture reached the tip of the blade, the swirling void of darkness started... Rotting. Yhwach's previously calm face distorting as it swivelled around, it's bulging red eyes panicked.

_You don't have a clue do you?_ I questioned internally as I tensed myself, my free hand held over my face, though I kept my eyes locked onto the slowly deteriorating cloak of shadows.

_... _

Aizen's answer did little to curb the growing panic.

Perfect...

It was then I noticed another pair of Reiatsu suddenly appear behind me, one marginally larger then the other. Admittedly enough that could be anyone if Yamamoto was one of the two.

When the rotting reached halfway, now within inches of the distorted face's extra long moustache, Yhwach started to scream.

I ignored the sudden, familiar and seethingly hot, burst of reiatsu that smothered the entire roof, my eyes transfixed on Yhwach's snarling face.

"Damn you... Damn you..! This isn't over... You hear me!? Aizen Sosuke! I, if it is the very last damned thing I do, WILL KILL YOU!" Yhwach's scream suddenly echoed out as the space started to distort around the edges as more and more of the reiatsu simply started disappearing. A bright light flashed as holes in space started to knit itself back together, before disappearing entirely.

I blinked at the sudden exclamation and said the only thing I could think of as a response.

"Yes... Well, best of luck."

_... I simply have to ask..._ Aizen's sudden voice broke me out of my stupor. I quickly turned towards the still confused main protagonist behind me, giving him an amused expression in the process as I realised I'd probably removed the Quincy part inside him. None of the darkness had gone back in him after all...

"What the hell just happened?" He questioned, somewhat bemusedly, his eyes briefly switching between me and his blade.

I considered the question for a moment, my body tensing the slightest when I felt the brief wash of heated reiatsu from earlier vanish, before to my own surprise, I suddenly felt... far lighter then before, as if some sort of haze had been lifted. I briefly locked eyes with the captain-commander and for the first time today found a rather fond look on his face.

_Wonder what that's about? And you had a question?_

_Deal with this first..._  
  
_Oh so you do trus- OW! What the hell Aizen!?_ I internally exclaimed, my body thankfully making no reaction as I felt the sudden, rather vicious I must say, sting that travelled down my arm.

I promptly ignored the satisfied feeling that swelled inside me as I locked my gaze back to Ichigo.

"Oh... I think I might've, for lack of a better phrase, just saved the world... But... Knowing my luck he's probably going to come back... Oh sorry, I am rambling. My name's Aizen Sosuke," Oddly enough, I believed every word.

_What would you do if he did come back?_ Aizen suddenly questioned me, his interest piqued.

_Probably strap him to a chair._

Aizen gave me no direct response, though his annoyance was all to clear.

He thinks I am joking.

Ichigo processed the words for a moment, briefly wincing from something, before he nodded though there was a definite twinkle in the boy's eyes. "So I've heard-" That cannot be good... I found myself immediately thinking, wondering what Urahara might've said to him... "-Kurosaki Ichigo!" He added on at the end as he held out a hand towards me.

Or probably not...

Regardless, I quickly plastered a smile on my face and took the hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Ichigo blinked before he released my hand and rubbed the back of his head. "Right... Say you kno- Rukia!" His sudden question cut itself off as he, and I, quickly realised the girl was with us on the roof.

She stood beside the still unconscious Ryoka, one Unohana Retsu likely checking on them. Mostly checking on Ishida really. Just behind her was a rapidly turning Byakuya, his hand dangerously close to the pommel of his sword as he scouted out the area for any other threat that might decide to show it's face.

"By the way, Ichigo, you might wanna keep Urahara away from your siblings!" I quickly stated as I realised the man was likely going to try poison my image the first chance he could get in the real world. Figured I'd get the first shot. Besides I seriously doubted he nor Yoruichi would still be waiting back there for us to return.

_As I was saying, I have to ask... Did you truly insult his name like that... In an attempt to be polite?_  
  
I wasn't sure why he sounded so worri-

_Wait, is Huya an insult!?_

_..Did you miss the sheer hatred he was emanating?_   
  
_No comment._

...

After the whole fiasco with the "Emperor" of the quincies, I and the captains, barring Unohana quickly made our way back to the, now broken, tower.

_Hopefully we won't be sticking around too long... I need a nap_

_... You're a shinigami... You don't require... Nevermind._ Aizen, in a stroke of brilliance, quit while he was ahead.

_Your end will be painful._   
  
_You say the nicest things._

Ichigo, Rukia, Ishida and Orihime were thankfully escorted to the nearest medical wing, though the captains had wanted to start the interrogation, none of them were truly in any physical condition to be up and about. Half the reason I'd made it to Ichigo so much earlier then was due to Rukia's condition. Yamamoto hadn't even deigned to say anything in regards to them. I quickly focused my attention back ahead of me.

The first thing I noticed was the distinct lack of Kenpachi in the room.

_Guess he's up again..._

Turning my attention away from my guaranteed rematch with the crazed captain, my eyes quickly skimmed over the signs of the earlier blast of reiatsu-

_Wait, Quincies' can't use Reiatsu right?_

_... That... That's a valid point..._ Aizen's mind quickly connected the dots and their sequels as he reached the same conclusion.

_Someone else tried to kill Kisuke_,

_Yhwach is no longer a Quincy!?_

Or perhaps not...

Upon entering, my eyes quickly widened at what awaited us.

Byakuya, just beside me stifled something as he tensed, Shunsui gave no reaction besides a raised eyebrow while Yamamoto had an indifferent look to his face.

Just ahead, I found Hitsugaya and Ukitake and just between them was one cuffed, thoroughly winded Shihoin Yoruichi. The woman had two small black rectangle locks around her arms, inches away from each other. I could practically feel the reiatsu in the air get sucked into it.

_How the hell did they manage to catch her!?_

_As always, asking the wrong questions._   
  
_Huh?_

"We found them just about to leave Seireitei, Shihion-san decided to stick around and delay us. Soi-fon-taichou decided to follow Kisuke to the human world while we handled her," Hitsugaya explained the moment Yamamoto stopped walking.

"So... You just carry those cuffs with you? They don't look like the regular kind," I stated the moment I'd finished looking them over for the second time.

For some reason, that made everyone barring Ukitake and Hitsugaya tense. Including Yamamoto. though oddly enough, neither me nor Aizen felt worried.

If anything, Aizen found the actions amusing.

Hitsugaya blinked at the question before he simply turned towards Ukitake, a questioning look on his face.

"Uhh... Well, they were originally brought in case... We needed them for you..." Ukitake suddenly answered, a guilty look to his face, as he stared at me.

I blinked at the answer, the tension in the air steadily rising, though funnily enough Hitsugaya looked more pissed at themthan I felt. What with the way his eyes openly narrowed.

I quickly shrugged before turning back to Yoruichi. "Should probably take one off her in that case. I doubt you'd need two-" I promptly ducked the flying spit that followed my statement.

...


	15. Ch9 Part 2

**-Las Noches, Throne Room, Hu_a_co Mundo-**

Josh Groban eyed the Espada before him, a mild look of interest filling his eyes. "Who indeed..." He remarked passively before resting his head on one his palms.

Ulquiorra made no reaction, his mind elsewhere as he waited for an answer.

"Why don't you scout ahead?" Josh Groban's voice brought him out of his stupor. The Espada blinking once before nodding to the order. He quickly took a few steps back and brought his hands together in front of his chest. Fingers barely touching as he started calling out from within, reiatsu quickly sparked through the air as the stone embedded deep within answered. His chest slowly started glowing as a small globe of concentrated reiatsu started forming between his hands.

After the ball of energy reached it's peak, Ulquiorra smashed his hands together. The ball of energy shattering and exploding outwards, his body uneffected, leaving a crack in the _air_in it's place.

He eyed the crack for a moment longer then usual before he raised one of his hands to his right eye, removing it in one swift movement. He then promptly shoved the eye through the crack in space and time.

The sudden backlash of having _ten_ potential futures shoved into his head, admittedly enough, was rather _painful_.

And given the fact his _Canonsight,_ As Lord Groban officially named it, was not as reliable as it once was, _he hadn't seen Barragan coming after all_, meant it was probably not going to be worth it...

...

Josh Groban kept the tight smile on his face as Ulquiorra gave him the, _rather depressing_, news. "Let me get this straight," He started as he sat up the slightest bit straighter. "Aaroniero get's captured-"

Ulquiorra promptly nodded.

"-Zommari _almost dies, _Yammy comes back with Soul Society on his back-"

Ulquiorra nodded once again, the indifferent look on his face unchanging even at the growing reiatsu from the irate +Espada.

"-And Grantz DEFECTS!?"

"Not to _Soul Society,"_ Ulquiorra quickly pointed out.

_"That makes it worse." _The +_Espada_ ran his fur armband over the eyepiece, holding his head as if he were capable of headaches. "I can't believe I am asking this but, _Eren_?"

"Loses an arm," Ulquiorra answered, _the shadow of a smile on his face._  
  
Josh Groban's eyes minutely widened at the expression before a sour one filled his own. "Spoilers goddamit! What have I told you about ruining surprises!?"

"Apologies," Ulquiorra's face quickly turned passive as he _deadpanned._

Josh closed his eyes for a second as his hands rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Was it atleast _humorous_?"

_"Immensely, I was overtaken with joy,"_ Ulquiorra remarked passively.

"I can _see_ that," Josh remarked seriously. "I've never seen you in such a good mood."

Ulquiorra nodded indifferently.

"But seriously, no more spoilers!"

Ulquiorra _nodded again._

"What about Nnoitra? What happens with him?"

Ulquiorra internally sighs at the question. How was he supposed to answer that without spoilers? What even were these so called spoilers!? What is a spoiler!? What will it take before he finds out how to truly follow Lord Groban's command!?

"He _dies,"_  
  
...

**-Training Ground 5, Las Noches, Hu_a_co Mundo-**

"Nnoitra-sama!" A gruff voice suddenly called from outside the 'training ground.'

Noittra paused his three free arms from ripping his subordinates a new one as he turned his head towards the source.

"Huh!? Da hell do ya want!?" He called out as one of his four arms choked the Espada in his grasp.

"-t's -r- sam-" The winged hollows voice kept on drowning out in the midst of all the _screams._  
  
Rolling one eye he stopped pouring out his reiatsu, finally giving the hollows around him the chance to breath as he removed his blade from the hollow in front of him and stopped choking the life out of the two in his hands. The three scampering away as quickly as they could, the rest of the -espades backing away aswell.

"Da hell were ya saying? Can't ya see I am busy?" He _cackled, _his voice almost breaking in the process as he walked over towards the red winged hollow. The creatures sleek body, though covered by the white robes _Groban_ insisted everyone wear, openly showing his Vasto Lorde status.

"It's Panthera-sama! He's on his way-"

Nnoitra's sudden swipe with his blade cut off the -Espada's words and right arm, as he narrowed his eyes. "How many times do I gotta tell ya fools? _Nickname or full name! _Ya will not call him by anything else-" Whatever he'd been about to say to the winged hollow was suddenly cut off as he felt the rapidly nearing reiatsu. He ignored the -espada's sudden whining as it fell to the ground clutching it's missing arm.

"Well, well, well..." Nnoitra started beforehand, entirely indifferent to the fact _number six_ probably couldn't even hear him.

Said +espada suddenly crash landed onto the floor before him, his long blue hair rapidly swirling behind him as the Panthera hollow locked gazes with the Mantis.

"If it ain't _**Eren-**fucking-**Jaeger**_**!** Finally caught up yet? Or is 'ar match postponed indefinitely?" Nnoitra's, _forcefully modified_words, surprisingly enough, for once _didn't_ get the reaction he expected. _Panthera _hated his new name with a burning passion... Still, _Groban_ didn't give him, nor anyone else, a choice in the matter. He'd quite literally made it _impossible _to call him nor _Panthera_ for whatever reason by their real names. Though he would never admit to doing it, naturally.

Though why the bastard changed Hu_a_co Mundo's fucking name aswell he didn't have a clue.

_Eren _simply turned his head as he eyed the rest of the -_espada _surrounding them. "_You know... I forgot how much of a sadistic asshole you were..._"

Nnoitra blinked at the words. "The fuck are ya talking about forgot!? Ya've been gone a day!"

_Panthera _smiled at the response as he barred his teeth. _"And what a fucking day it's been!" _He stretched out his hands, getting into a combat stance. His eyes gleaming in the light.

Nnoitra tensed his guard as he took a few steps back. _"What kind of fucking inner awakening did ya go through!?"_ He snarled as he bent his body the slightest and quickly picked up the scattered blades.

_Eren simply kept the smile on his face_. "Oh, you wouldn't _believe_ some of the things I've seen..."

It was only then did Nnoitra notice something off as he stared at his fellow +espada. "Where the fuck did ya get that scar?" He suddenly questioned, referring to the half _crescent shaped _slash on the +Espada's right shoulder, moments before either of them could move.

_Eren, _for a moment didn't look like he was going to answer before the smile, for the first time since arriving, disappeared as he _narrowed_ his eyes.

_"From you,"_ The whisper reached the +espada a second _before_ he realised he was missing one of his arms, the bright blue narrow flash of reiatsu burning into his upper right shoulder causing him to scream. _Eren_, having not moved a single step simply straightened his back, one hand held up, his finger _taunting _him.

"Come on then! I've got a list to go through and frankly _you're not really a priority,"_

...

_5 Minutes Later_

**-Las Noches, Throne Room, Hu_a_co Mundo-**

Josh Groban hummed along as he listened in to the story. Ulquiorra could paint a picture with his words.

_"I see," _He remarked bored with the result, not that he'd expected much out of Nelleil, but her not lifting a single finger against the shinigami was a new low. The man's eyes quickly widened as his brow furrowed. "The shinigami just let her go?" He questioned quickly.

Ulquiorra nodded quickly. "I do not know why, all I saw was a shadow protecting her, likely a pacifist of sorts."

He nodded passively, "Right... Who does that leave... What about Harribel?"

"I saw even _less_ there." Ulquiorra's answer was, thankfully, to the point.

Josh Raised an eyebrow at the words. "What do you mean?"

"The vision ends abruptly."

Josh quirked an eyebrow at the words. _"What?" _He quickly asked for more information-

Ulquiorra's expression didn't budge. _"The vision ends abruptly."  
_  
"I wasn't asking yo- What do you mean it ends abruptly_?" _He held in the sigh that threatened to leave.

Ulquiorra tilted his head the slightest. "I do not know, though it is remarkably similar to my attempted view of Barragan's future."

Josh Groban closed his eyes minutely at the words.

_"_Do these people not understand why the balance is important?_" _He questioned to no one in particular before a third voice quickly joined them.  
_  
"As always... Vastly overestimating these soul reapers..." _The silky voice suddenly swept into the room, earning a frustrated groan from the man on the throne and no reaction from his dragon.

_"Hello Boss-sama~" _The high_er_-pitched voice continued on as the pink-haired man entered the room, his signature purple tattoo surrounding a widened amber eye.

Josh Groban held in the groan that threatened to escape. _"Stop calling me that..." _He demanded for the hundredth time.

_"Sure thing Lord Boss Groban." _The man remarked as he flicked his hair back, one finger tapping the side of his head.

_"What do you want Grantz?"_

The man put a finger on his lip as he processed the question before his smile widened as he quickly clapped his hands.

Josh Groban raised an eyebrow when two egg shaped -Espada quickly walked in, ontop of both of their shoulders-

He closed his eyes the moment they landed on the two _battered +Espada,_ one Eren Jaegerjaquez and one Misog-_ Nnoitra Gilga... _Both in their released states and both missing half their limbs...

_"They were throwing up a fuss. I was having tea. You understand."_  
  
Josh rubbed the bridge of his nose at the words. "Grow their arms back and throw both of them in the dungeon,"

_"The same cell yes?"_  
  
"Of course not!"

_"Got it Boss-sama!"  
_  
Josh twitched as he eyed the irritatingly _useful _+espada before him.

_"Say Ulqie~" _Szayel quickly turned on his feet to face the other +Espada in the room.

Josh hid the sigh he released at the shifted attention. It was moments like these, particularly the ones involving the mad scientist before him, that made him miss his _old_ espada...

_"I couldn't help but overhear you talking about the future-"_ Grants had started before the only unreleased espada in the room quickly interrupted him. Evidently knowing what he was going to ask.

"Yes, you _defect_ again." Ulquiorra deadpanned.

_Again!?_ Josh thought to himself, ignoring the bead of sweat that started to roll down his head.

Szayel's face quickly lit up at the words as he clapped his hands. "Woo! Bullet dodged, _amiright Boss-sama!?_" He finished as he turned back towards him, flashing him a massive smile.

_"Get out." _Josh remarked through grit teeth as he considered introducing himself to Soul Society, if only to get away from Huaco Mundo.

...

**-Broken White Tower, Seireitei-**

_So... What do you think happened to Huya?  
_  
_Focus on the matter at hand... And stop calling him that._ The _broken recorder_ remarked for the thousen-

_..._  
  
-dth time.

_...Do you simply lack any preservation skills?_

Instead of answering, I simply turned my gaze back to the shinigami before me.

"So since we don't have Kisuke... Any chance I can decide her punishment instead?" I remarked idly, my finger pointing towards the _gagged_ woman in the centre.

My words, for whatever reason as I've frankly given up on trying to read these people, caused Hitsugaya's expression to shift, an uncomfortable aura originating from him and filling the air.

Yamamoto fixed me with a gaze before asking what I had in mind.

Needless to say, it turns out Yoruichi wouldn't in fact like it.

...

"You wish to absolve her of all her previous charges?" Yamamoto questioned me, his words somehow piercing through the sudden cloud of killing intent that had filled the room.

Most of it came from _her._

I could practically feel the present tension palpating around. Byakuya's presence, oddly enough, being the least noticable. The man's expression had closed off ever since 'Yhwach' disappeared.

Hitsugaya's expression on the other hand was the easiest to read.

Sheer utter annoyance filled his face.

Apparently the capture hadn't been _clean _given Yoruichi's shocked face, courtesy of my proposal, had temporarily switched to a look of _pride_ when the shorter captain had started speaking.

"You can't be serious Aizen..." He remarked the moment he'd seen the look on my face.

"Yes!" I admitted. "Under the condition that she works for the Gotei 13 for the next, at the very least, _two decades."_

I could see a myriad of expressions fill the woman's face at my words and thankfully, because of the gag on her mouth, I wouldn't have to _hear _them.

But judging by the most common look.

I am going to assume they involved _many_ swear words.

"Does this involve _the future_ by any chance?" Ukitake questioned from beside Shunsui, a neutral look to his face, though the man made an effort to avoid Yoruichi's gaze.

_"You can never be too prepared." _I answered honestly. Yoruichi _was one of the more _powerful shinigami.

Me being a fan of hers had nothing to do with it whatsoever!

_..._

Yamamoto didn't even deign to look at any other captain as he processed my words, before to my own and everyone else's shock, he tipped his head the slightest.

_"Given Central 46 is currently indisposed, I, Genryusai Yamamoto, Captain-Commander of the First Devision of The Gotei 13 hereby place former captain Shihoin__Yoruichi under Captain Aizen Sosuke's superverision for the foreseeable future,"_ The man remarked before proceeding to slam his giant stick, the point on the ground releasing a thread of reiatsu, the first end quickly found itself locking into a single point on, a _horrified,_ Yoruichi's neck with the other end, likely, latching onto the end of my _Zanpakuto._

I blinked as I replayed the man's words over and over again in my head, my eyes looking down onto my glowing sheath. _My supervision... Doesn't that make me responsi- Ah crap... _And judging by the _amused _look on the old man's face, he heard me. Still... Putting her under my supervision instead of absolving her crimes?

_Freaking smart asshole..._

Of course, while I had no intention of taking this lying down, I simply couldn't help but wonder why _Shunsui_ looked even more put out by this then I did... And while the fact he was sitting opposite me didn't make it any easier to not notice, I don't think he was necessarily trying to _hide _his emotions around me anymore. So his issue with everything made even less sense...

_Or maybe I am just reading this wrong... It'd be real helpful of you to interject right about now..._

I promptly sighed at the lack of response and just before either me or Shunsui could, most likely in his case, protest against me on my behalf, the _broken_ tower we were currently in buckled as the ground beneath us _trembled_. The reiatsu in the air intensifying. The still standing walls around us quickly started to break under the sudden pressure. _Seriously, whose idea was it to use the same broken tower anyway!?_

I quickly found myself in the air as I moved towards the gagged and cuffed assassin in the centre, my blade drawn within the instant.

I quickly rebuffed Aizen's sudden insistence on skewering the woman, her expression showcasing clear dread, in favour of cutting her handcuffs loose, it's not like she could run any more, _presumably_.

The handcuffs being surprisingly easy to cut through meant either the Shinigami were really cheap when it came to _safety_, or prisoner assassination attempts were _really_ common.

_The latter._ Aizen thankfully chimed in then. Though even I could tell he was _angry _at me.

_It was the perfect opportunity to get rid of _her_..._

On that note, I quickly grabbed said '_her_' by the waist and dashed out of the collapsing building, landing next to Hitsugaya Toshiro. The captain stood in the middle of the street trying to discern wherever that surge of reiatsu had come from.

_"What are you doing!?"_ Yoruichi suddenly snarled as she kicked at me, before dashing a few feet away. The thread on her neck intensifying in colour as she was forced to stop on her feet. Her eyes outright glaring at me. Hitsugaya on the other hand quickly moved behind her the moment he'd seen her move, kicking at her knees to drop her into the floor before unsheathing his blade.

"Don't move a muscle, Aizen may not have the stomach for it but I have no problem with taking out _traitors_." He warned. Though, to his own irritation, the woman didn't seem to acknowledge neither his words nor sword as she kept her gaze fixed on me.

_"It's true, not a fan of casualties-" _I shrugged and before I could even make out her reaction to my words, a brilliant flash of blue suddenly lit up the sky behind me. Mine, Hitsugaya's and Yoruichi's attention suddenly snapped towards the _pillar of reiatsu_ that had suddenly encompassed the central building of the city. The reiatsu moving upwards as if it were a reversed waterfall, almost as if the blast _had come from underground. _

The reiatsu itself had destroyed every speck of Central 46's headquarters. And in the sight of all this destruction-

"...Jokes on them, our government was _already _dead." -my mouth decided that was the perfect thing to say.

_"Aizen!" _Hitsugaya remarked with alarm, though to my own shock, I found the 10th devision captain trying to stifle his own laughter at my words.

As the reiatsu quickly dissipated from the air, leaving a massive hole where the building had previously stood, in the middle of Seireitei. Up high in the sky I could make out a single humanoid figure, lackadaisically standing in the middle of the air _waving his hand out **towards me.**_  
_  
Is... Is that Stark? Aizen, what the hell is Stark doing here!?_

_**"Good afternoon Seireitei."**_ The figure kept his eyes on me as he started speaking, his tone polite while his voice was enhanced to reverberate across the city.

_Oh my god that voice... Where have I heard that voice!?_ My mind wracked itself in an attempt to remember.  
_  
**"My name is Josh-"** OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OHMYGOD! __"-**Groban! And I-**"_

He was about to continue before I accidentally** interrupted** him, once again _entirely_ on instinct, with **"-am a furry?" **

Honestly speaking, I hadn't expected that much o_f Coyote Stark's body_ to be covered in fur... I'd also meant to say that quietly, Aizen however decided to enhance my voice for me...

_I'd figured you to immediately release my sword as you've done on contact with everything else so far. You locked gazes with him did you not? Or are you telling me **I** would be incapable of catching _him_ in Complete Hypnosis from this distance?_  
  
_You are so not putting this on me... Anyone ever tell you you tend to get s_uper _defensive?_

Hitsugaya blinked at the strange word as he, though he kept most of his view on the suddenly quiet intruder, turned his head minutely towards me.

"What is a furry exactly?" He questioned bemused.

Probably wanted to know if they had any weakness.

I kept my gaze on the building bubble of anger in the distance, which in retrospect means Stark- _Groban_ knows what a furry is.

"Ask _Komamura_." I shrugged, idly wondering if the _wolf_man even knew/heard of the word, though given Yoruichi's reaction to my answer...

The woman had stifled the snort that threatened to come out. Her eyes immediately widening in the process as she found her guard, for the first time that day, lowered enough for me to catch her off it. She grit her teeth and kept her eyes locked on me. Disregarding the Espada in the sky completely.

_Talk about a tough crowd..._

_..._


	16. Ch10 Part 1

**-Aizen-**

The shift was instant, Josh Groban's reiatsu momentarily condensing as he processed my words, before the previously calm aura was replaced by pure _killing intent._

My body automatically responded as the killing intent washed over, time slowing down as my perception of it increased. I raised my hand, the blade pointing towards the man in the distance.

"Shatter! Ky-" My mouth suddenly clamped shut as I felt a _searing hot_ pain run across my palm causing me to _flick _the blade into the air. My eyes blinking as I noticed Josh Groban's closing figure. The man had a hand stretched out, put into a strange gesture, pointing towards me. The glow of reiatsu signifying the pain as his fault.

_That's a forbidden techn-_

Aizen's explanation fell on deaf ears. In fact I barely even noticed the fury painted across Josh Groban's face as he reached my position within an _instant_, nor did I notice Hitsugaya's curse as he dropped his own blade, my attention preoccupied, mind idly wondering if the steel of the blade was just as hot-

_For the love of the bloody Soul King focus!  
  
That's a perfectly reasonable question!  
_   
_You can't overheat something designed to be overloaded-_

_But the pommel was overheated-_   
**   
_Don't let him take my blade!_ **

The sudden _yell_ echoing through my head almost caused me to wince. I quickly snapped my attention back in front of me, the zanpakuto was currently inches away from my face, Josh Groban stood less then a metre away, his posture narrowed as his hand reached out, closer to both steel and pommel then either my own hands and with the real Aizen screaming bloody murder in my head... Naturally I did the one thing I could think off in that second, immediately shutting him up in the process.

I closed my mouth and snapped my teeth on the, thankfully, flat side of the blades edge. My reiatsu, funnily enough, immediately sticking said teeth to the _cold_steel. Josh Grobans expression infinitesimally changed to a look resembling sheer bewilderment, the small lapse in focus giving me the perfect chance to lean forward the slightest, twist my head and promptly smack the still _searing _pommel onto his face.

Yoruichi's gasp of surprise was the only thing that reminded me she was there.

...

**-Hitsugaya-**

He could only watch, almost stupefied as Aizen smacked the pommel of his blade onto the intruders face. The man's face going from shock to _pain_ to anger within instants.

He ignored the shiver that went down his spine as he momentarily spared a single glance over his own still burning Zanpakuto on the ground.

He'd immediately dropped his blade the moment the intruder had used that _ability_. The moment he'd felt every nerve in his palm _burn_.

And _Aizen? _What had he done in the face of the forbidden technique? The technique known to few and meant to destabilise and weaken a shinigami's ability to use their Zanpakuto. Meant as a last resort in case any shinigami _turned. _

He'd grabbed it between his teeth and smacked that pommel onto the intruders face! Leaving a new tattoo in the middle of the _hollow's? _Forehead.

Hitsugaya immediately shook his thoughts away as he picked up his blade by it's steel, immediately sheathing it as he leaped backwards. At the speed the intruder was moving at, he'd begrudgingly realised he wouldn't be able to keep up.

The best thing he could do right now was give Aizen support. The man knew what he was doing.

He watched on and waited for his chance to help. His mind rifling through every kido known-

His eyes widened the moment Aizen quickly took a few steps back, immediately grabbing a protesting Yoruichi under one arm, his gaze still locked onto the now _thoroughly _pissed intruder, while his other held his Zanpakuto by it's _blade..._

He hadn't even considered using his sword like that-

He tensed the moment he'd felt the reiatsu in the air suddenly turn heavy, the intruder had leapt backwards and raised the arm holding a _gun!? _Hitsugaya barely had the time to widen his eyes before he'd _instinctively _jumped into the air, as far from his position as his legs would take him. His body barely avoiding the sudden brilliant flash of blue that filled his previous spot and everything behind it.

Aizen himself had flash stepped to the intruders other side. A quieter Yoruichi still held under his arm, while his other hand lackadaisically spun his mis-held Zanpakuto.

_"Triggered much?" _Hitsugaya couldn't believe his ears. The sheer _audacity... _

He ignored the lingering, ominous, meaning that followed every action the _Time Travelling Captain_ took. Every, plain as day, difference between him and the man they'd known _yesterday._ Everything that screamed _danger and wrong_.  
He ignored all of it. Because, no matter how he looked at it, no matter which direction, thinking about it would only make things worse. What he did know was... If the future had caused Aizen to change _this_ much, then there was no telling what it had done to _everyone else_.

Instead, he focused on the enemy before him. The blue beam (cero?) of reiatsu from before had come from the intruders gun, piercing through wall after wall as it _rippled_ across towards them at speeds faster than light!

Hitsugaya quickly unsheathed his blade, pain be damned, the moment he'd seen the Intruder raise the gun a second time. This time instead of immediately firing however, _reiatsu started building up at the tip-_  
  
"Behind you!" He suddenly roared out the moment he'd seen a shadow suddenly show up behind Aizen's feet.

Aizen however,** gave no reaction** to his warning.

_The intruder on the other hand, did._ For whatever reason, he had suddenly stopped gathering reiatsu as his eye widened, his pupil minutely darting in every direction as he searched for _something_.

Aizen gave him no chance however as he promptly stopped holding Yoruichi, dropping the woman to the ground earning a swear word in return, raised his hand and _finger flicked _the man on his new_ tattoo_.

_"Suck it Isshin! I can do it too!" _Aizen remarked gleefully immediately after.

_Josh Groban? _Suddenly found himself rocketing backwards at the hit, crashing into the nearby squad _four barracks._  
  
Aizen wasted no time as he quickly flicked his sword, grabbing it by it's pommel and promptly dashed after the intruder. An unwilling Yoruichi forced to follow his heels, lest she risked passing out.

He himself barely noticed the fact his blade's pommel had long since stopped burning as he followed the rest.

...

_ **-Grobecam- ** _

Josh Groban ignored the grunt that escaped him as he felt his body crash through the building. Debris, furniture and flailing shinigami filling his vision as he went through one wall after another before slowing and halting in the middle of what looked like a massive hall.

His body quickly snapped to it's feet, his eye taking in every new hostile around.

_Fifteen Shinigami._  
  
"W-Who are you-" Another voice joined the fray, though the speaker's tongue seemed to catch a sudden knot as his reiatsu flooded the building. Josh snapped his gaze behind him, finding another, rather tall, wide-eyed shinigami, though this ones reiatsu was remarkably higher than the average around him.

He quickly spread his arms to the side and released a shockwave of reiatsu, scattering the shinigami to and through the broken walls. Their cries of pain a melody to his ears. Though the feeling wouldn't last long as he promptly ducked his head, missing the swipe from the _damned _captain who'd appeared behind him.

_"Miss me!?" _The _bastard_ exclaimed, his look of sheer excitement threatened to send him over the edge. Without skipping a beat however, he promptly disappeared, a burst of reiatsu left in his wake as he reappeared in the sky above the destroyed barracks. He eyed the captain on the ground with a passive expression. The man had deigned to give him a few seconds to plan. _His funeral._

"_I have yet to find the words to describe what I int-"_

"Nice tattoo, _where'd you get it?_" Aizen quickly interrupted him again.

Josh Groban twitched from his position. He simply raised his gun above his head, pointing it to the sky and began charging. He ignored the second pair of shinigami that appeared after him, having deemed them non-threats earlier. Though _Yoruichi, unfortunately kept her distance from him._

When Aizen raised his sword, likely to release it, he was promptly reminded of the cheap trick from earlier. One he could hardly believe he'd fallen for... Using the other captain to convince him he was under an illusion... Josh shook his head and promptly seared the man's, and every shinigami within 200 metres, pommel. The sudden reiatsu drain, admittedly causing him to wince. Turning his head minutely to his growing, unstable, ball of energy he felt satisfaction rush through him as he spoke.

"_Once I am done with you, I am redoing this entire shitsho-" _He'd started, his gaze turning back down towards the captain.

'_Thwack_' The sudden sound of a sword piercing him caught him off guard. The searing pain and anger that immediately followed as he realised the blade had managed to dig through his head was almost unbearable.

Josh Groban, ignoring said pain entirely, minutely blinked as he suddenly realised the _bastard had thrown his sword **through his goddamn eyepiece.**_

...

**-Aizen-**

_Did you just throw my goddamn sword!?"_

_What? It's not like he was using that eye._

_That's not the problem!_

_Relax... Unlike Kenpachi he ain't getting a powerup- Ow! Ow! I am sorry! I am sorry! I'll get it back! Sheesh!_  
  
I ignored the shiver that travelled down my spine as I turned towards Hitsugaya quickly asking to borrow his blade.

...

** _-Grobecam-_ **

The sudden lapse in judgement was followed by an earth-shaking roar as he realised he'd lost concentration and focus on his building ball of energy, causing it to implode, the explosion covering him entirely before sending him rocketing towards the ground.

Still, even caught off-guard as he was, he didn't give the bastard the satisfaction of his body crashing as he _forced_ it into suspended animation a metre off the ground. His facial muscles twitching rapidly as he processed what the hell had just happened.

When he raised his head however, one hand about to grab the offending sword still stuck in his head, he realised he'd taken a nanosecond too long as his eye landed on the _wrong_ captain, Aizen nowhere in sight. The shorter white-haired one was, not only missing his zanpakuto but was currently eyeing him with an _uncomfortable expression-_

A rough tug, that sent waves of pain arching through his head and stilled him on the spot quickly told him why. His eye snapped upwards to the side, eyeing a hand on the pommel of the blade intimately invading his brains personal space.

_"Would you look at that! I've found Yzma's lever!" _Were the last words he heard as he felt the _cold_ steel of another blade push against the back of his neck, while the man pulled back his Zanpakuto with his left hand, beheading him in one fell swoop.

...

**-Josh Groban-**

Josh Groban minutely reopened his eye, his mind back in it's body as the reiatsu apparition in Soul Society quickly broke apart following the loss of senses, in it's place was his currently missing pistol. He was somewhat mollified with the fact he'd decided to not send _both _of them. Though that didn't help much per say.

He eyed the utterly passive expression on Ulquiorra's face for a few moments before his eyebrow twitched. He knew the +Espada had been keeping watch through the mirror.

_"How, in the ever loving fuck, did you not see that coming?" _Josh Groban finally questioned, his anger barely contained as he focused his reiatsu into the air before him. The reiatsu slowly morphing space and time as it reached out towards his missing gun.

Ulquiorra blinked once.

"I cannot predict _Josh Groban's _actions."

Josh twitched at the words, it was the only answer Ulquiorra ever gave him if any visions involving him personally_ didn't_work out. A common occurrence, though they had never deviated _this _much.

_"Of course." _He sighed as the small portal in space finished forming.

He promptly reached his hand in, intending to retrieve the gun-

_-snip-  
_  
Ulquiorra turned his head away at the sound, his expression hidden as his body _shuddered._

Josh Groban felt himself, once again, uncontrollably twitch and shake as he pulled back his now hand-less arm.

The urge to murder everything within a_ dimensions_ radius had, in the last _hour alone_, grown to an unprecedented level.

_..._


	17. Ch10 Part 2

-**Shunsui Kyoraku-**

Shunsui held in the breath that threatened to escape, sweat barely held at bay as it threatened to pour down, as he eyed the _grey wolf_ in front of him.

As soon as that explosion had shook the tower, he'd found himself chasing after a shrouded figure that had shown itself before him, _specifically_. He really should've questioned the creatures height at the time...

He'd of course expected it to be some kind of distraction, one he'd followed on the off chance it _wasn't. _The other captains hadn't even seemed to notice it at the time.

Distraction or not though, he'd atleast expected a _humanoid_ target. Someone he could _question_. For today had yet to truly give him a proper answer... He almost couldn't help the frustration that seeped in at what _qualified_ as a distraction for this Josh Groban... A self-destructing _immortal_ _multiplying_ _construct_ of reiatsu was not what he'd hand in mind...

He breathed in quietly, his eyes darting around his barracks. The wolf had led him on a merry chase towards his squad. And while he'd made an attempt to get rid of him... The first time one of his attacks had landed, the wolf had _split in two after exploding_. Ever since he'd had to hold back on using any reiatsu against him, given it seemed to _automatically _trigger it's ability to blow up indiscriminately.

He had to hold back the wince as another wolf in his peripheral exploded, barely missing one of his seated shinigami. The unseated had been told to _run _after one of the split wolves had managed to _cripple_ two with an explosion. There was currently one wolf for each of his seated, though their numbers were likely to double at any point...

Each time one blew up, two took it's place, though unlike the, original, one before him, the rest seemed to be mindless, acting on instinct as they attacked the nearest target, their jaws grasping hold of them before exploding in a shower of blue. The shower of reiatsu quickly morphing into two separate wolves as it sucked in and used the reiatsu in the _air_ to make up for it's loss_._ Essentially keeping each of the growing pack at peak.

And yet, neither he nor his squad could do anything in return as he found himself sat rigid still, his unreleased blade shaking the slightest. He and the original had separated from the rest, the mindless wolves and shinigami alike knowing enough not to come anywhere near them, the latter doing so under orders.

"This is hardly fair..." He found himself muttering as he stared at the closed eyes of the wolf before him, it's grey tail wrapped around his unconscious _lieutenant_.

And even after everything that had happened, from the start of his day to now, he still somehow found himself once again getting caught off guard, surprised, as the wolf _replied_.

_"_You're_ hardly_ one to talk, Captain-san._"_ The beast stated as it opened both of it's, far too intelligent, eyes to gaze at his _sword_. The all to familiar tone in the creatures voice elevating the tension quickly. He practically tasted the pressure in the air as his eyes minutely widened..

...

It was almost surreal, the way the wolf laid it's head ontop of it's front paw, the rest of it's body completely relaxed even as the occasional explosion went off in the background, though thankfully his shinigami had seemed to get a handle on the exploding wolves. Not to mention the seated reinforcements had certainly helped even the growing numbers.

"So... What do we do now?" He questioned absentmindedly, the wolf had been oddly quiet ever since it had revealed its ability to speak. He raised an eyebrow when the words seemed to finally get a reaction out of the wolf as he swished his tail, his lieutenant swaying with the limb.

"Hmm... How about-" The wolf remarked, sounding out of place to the captain, as it suddenly tilted it's head to the sight, its eyes staring and narrowing at something or perhaps someone in the distance. "Dear me..." The creature rumbled, it's eyes twitching rapidly. _"Aizen can certainly be scary when he wants to..." _It finished absentmindedly.

Shunsui took a few steps back out of range of the wolf's jaws as he widened his eyes the moment he'd heard the words. His body however automatically released his Zanpakuto at the given chance. The wolf had, up until that point, kept it's attention fully focused on him, its reiatsu smothering the barracks, even if it pretended to sleep.

Whatever Aizen had done, had momentarily distracted it.

**"Katen-"**

The wolf minutely turned its head towards him at the first word, opened it's mouth to speak, though Shunsui ignored it in favour of continuing.

**"-Kyokots-" **He'd been a practical letter away from completing his release, his Zanpakuto brimming with reiatsu before he realised the wolf hadn't been about to talk as he watched, with growing horror, the rapidly generating cero before him. He promptly canceled on releasing blade, his eyes panicked, as he made an attempt to dodge-

The blue beam of _pure_ hollow reiatsu however turned out to move even faster then predicted as it ripped through the right side of his body and sent him crashing into the building behind him. Stars filled his eyes as his body _screamed_ in pain. He blinked rapidly as he held in the wince of pain. His left hand, dropping his _tachi_ automatically applying pressure into the gaping _hole_ on the right side of his chest. Only to promptly swear when his star-fills vision ended as his gaze landed on his wakizashi across the clearing, his right _hand_, the rest of the arm had been in the centre of the cero, firmly attached to it.

"That looks painful..." The wolf seemed to sigh it looked at him. "_Really shouldn't have assumed all I could do was bite and blow up_, Captain-san..." The wolf remarked hinting at some kind of inside joke that fell on deaf ears.

"I suppose you ought to thank Aizen, for if not for him-" The wolf started as his body began to dissipate into reiatsu, "-you would've lost _far_ more." He finished as he promptly threw the lieutenant wrapped in his tail towards him, eliciting another pain filled wince as she landed squarely on his gaping wound.

...

...

**-Aizen-**

I blinked a few times as I stared at the sole gun on the ground in front of me. Starks- _Groban's_ body no where to be seen. I idly scratched the side of my head.

_Huh. Well, that happened.  
_  
_He's certainly improved his ability to split his soul..._ Aizen idly remarked in my head.

"You did it..." Hitsugaya's voice jerked me out of my thoughts. I turned my head towards him, finding the captain relatively calm, his sword once again sheathed and kept as far away from me as possible. Yoruichi on the other hand preferred silence as she simply eyed me from her position. Hitsugaya turned his gaze, taking in the destroyed barracks with a grimace to his face. "Unohana-" The younger captain started before his eyes minutely widened as they snapped back to me.

My body seemed to get the hint as it automatically moved. Swiping my Zanpakuto in arc to my left behind me, though my gaze never left Hitsugaya.

I blinked the moment I heard something fall onto the ground. I slowly turned around, lowering my blade in the process, and eyed the _hand_ on the ground before turning back to Hitsugaya.

_"He's not dead." _I deadpanned before turning my gaze back to Josh Groban's hand. I quickly touched the edge of my blade to it, frowning when nothing seemed to happen, the hand wasn't even _bleeding_, wondering why this one seemed to stay while the body earlier had disintergrated-

_You are so incorrect, it's almost painful._

Regardless... Hitsugaya, for whatever reason, winced as he quickly unsheated his blade, his eyes tentatively looking around for any more threats.

I on the other hand, picked up Groban's hand and threw it at a startled Yoruichi, the woman unable to move as my reiatsu flared to keep her in place. _Aizen you petty basta-_ The hand promptly smacking her on the head in the process.

"That's for spitting at me earlier,"

_Naturally_, she threw it straight at Hitsugaya next.

Poor bastard was so freaked out he almost went bankai.

_Aizen that is a grievous misuse of your Shikai ability...  
_  
__I literally don't care anymore.  
  
...I think I might've broken him.

...  
_  
How in the fuck did he lose his arm!?  
_  
_Why are you asking me?_  
_  
Oh, right.  
_  
"How in the _fuck_-" Automatically wincing at the sudden jolt of irritation from my landlord. Right. Swearing isn't allowed 25/9 here.

_..._

_So, not completely broken yet-_

Aizen promptly sent another shockwave of pin needles across our body. I coughed away the new sensation of pain, my face twitching in the process as I focused on the one-armed captain before me. "-Did you lose your arm?"

The man looked so _done_ with today, it wasn't even funny. He'd shown up immediately after Groban's _death_. One arm missing as his other carried his Zanpakuto. Yoruichi had decidedly stopped trying to throw Groban's limbs at me following Hitsugaya's prompt freezing of it.

Evidently, he hadn't found it as entertaining given he'd frozen it in a case of ice almost immediately after getting hit by it for the first time.

"I fought a wolf..." Shunsui remarked, a sigh escaping him.

"Komamura-Taichou!?" "Wile E. stole your arm?" Hitsugaya and I both, respectively, remarked at the same time. And frankly I don't know whether to laugh or be proud.

Of course, the shorter captain had the grace to feel ashamed at his words as he realised what he'd just said.

Hitsugaya Toshiro's still_ impressionable. _

Go figure.

Shunsui on the other hand didn't look remotely amused as he narrowed his eyes in irritation. He released another sigh and just as he was about to speak up, I almost couldn't help myself as I walked up to him, put one hand on his shoulder and quickly gave him the frozen limb.

"You need this_ way_ more then I do,"

He twitched.

Fortunately, before he could murder me, a few other captains decided to show themselves.

Unfortunately, one of them was Unohana Retsu. _The Vanilla Kenpachi whose barracks I'd trashed ala shooting-Stark._

...

I stared around at the wide-eyed captains, the murderous captains and good old-genocide captain before me, a look of pristine calm on my face. As I was surrounded by all these people, I couldn't help but think.

_Ulquiorra has got to have the biggest pair of balls in this entire fucking universe.  
_  
Because this fucker, in the midst of about 8 captains, including _Genocide and myself_, decided to show up behind me and quickly stick his hand _through_ my chest, _into my Haori's inner pocket and grab onto the gun inside_. Blood spilling out as pain unlike anything I've ever felt racked my body.

Aizen's connection, for whatever reason, had been cut off microseconds before he'd appeared leaving my body completely vulnerable.

He'd done it all within a second _flat. _Moments after the captains had appeared, he'd shown himself.

I more or less saw the moment all the other captains started to move, Hitsugaya being the closest, as their expressions morphed. But even I could tell they wouldn't make it to him in time. Given the way he'd appeared without a single warning and at a speed faster then any of us could've _processed._

Ulquiorra lazily pulled his arm back out of my chest, gun in hand, causing me drop to my knees, my eyes widened as I turned back to stare at him.

_"Josh Groban sends his regards," _He remarked before disappearing out of sight, Groban's gun with him.

I blinked, coughing blood out as I fell forwards. My hands helping keep me up on my knees. I had maybe a minute before I'd pass out or worse? Maybe more?

So naturally, I used the time as wisely as I could.

"...Hey Shunsui... I could use _a hand_-" Were my last words before darkness _instantly_ claimed me.

...

...

...

-_Meanwhile, in the human world...-_

A groan filled the silence of the night as a man found himself landing on the rough ground unceremoniously. The stranger tutting as he tried to blink his eyes open though he made no move to get up from his sprawled out position. His brow quickly furrowed as he eyed the sign on the building before him.

_Kurosaki Clinic? _

"What am I doing here?" He drawled from his position on the ground, his eyes minutely widening as he read over the sign again. He promptly switched to a seated position, his eyes widening still.

_"Better yet, where am I?"_ He questioned no-one in particular.

_"No... Hang on..."_ His voice slowed, his eyes widened as far as they could, the lone strand on his head straightening as his reishi spiked._ "Who am I-" _He'd originally started, his face tilting as a nonexistent camera zoomed in before the stranger promptly gave it up as a bad effort and relaxed his face.

"I have got way too much time on my hands..." He remarked bored as he quickly straightened himself up, his hands in his pockets.

He carefully eyed the clinic before him, once again wondering how he'd found himself in... He quickly raised a finger, licked it and raised it to the air before he wiped it off, a second later, using his uniform because he wasn't a savage and could actually sense the fact he was in the _human world._

But why was he here?

The last thing he could remember was a blinding flash of light as he tried to protect..? Someone by fighting them?

He was pretty sure there was something wrong with that sentence.

Still, other than that and his, practically up until his adolescences, earlier memories, he couldn't remember much else...

Who was he fighting... To protect?

He narrowed his eyes as he felt something stir in the pit of his stomach! A feeling he knew off but had forgotten! A sensation that-

'Growl' His stomach grumpily purred as it demanded food.

_Askin_ _Nakk Le Vaar_ twitched before raising his head, taking another brief look over the clinic before shrugging it off as unimportant and promptly beginning his quest to find food.

And his memories of course.

But food first.

Food was always first.

...

"Give me your finest cup of coffee!" He remarked as he walked towards the man showcasing a few teeth in the process as he smiled at the big man before the door. His quest for food had failed on account of it being past midnight. This had been the first open business he'd found on his way and he doubted they sold any meals.

_"This is a nightclub." _The bouncer remarked with a frown on his face as he eyed him-

"Alright, put alcohol in it, I don't mind." He deadpanned as he waved a single hand.

The man blinked a few times as he stared at the either clearly drunk, or insane individual for a moment though before he even opened his mouth to _react,_ the weirdo interrupted him again.

_"I am getting that coffee. Just so were clear."_ He remarked as he crossed his arms.

...

_-Morning of the next day-_

Karin blinked as she eyed the tv. Her hand automatically raising up the volume as she listened.

"Hey... That's our neighbourhood!" Her sister exclaimed out loud, her eyes widened.

_"Thanks, captain obvious," _She remarked back, earning a frown. Though her sister's attention was quickly taken up by the news reel aswell.

Honestly, she wasn't sure if she should be surprised or worried. Neither of which felt right for the situation...

Disbelief probably made more sense...

Because seriously... Who,_ in their right minds_, would take over a nightclub, hold everyone inside hostage, including the owners _and_ security... And for what?

_A freaking cup of coffee.  
_   
** _Nightclub held hostage as terrorist demands coffee._ **

A 12 hour hostage crisis, that was still _going on_, for a cup of coffee...

_This town seriously needs to get it's shit together. _She couldn't help the thought.

Yuzu automatically turned towards her, as if she could read her mind, her frown more clearly shown.

Karin promptly rolled her eyes before quickly starting back to her room, intent on getting ready for school. And if she decided to take the longer route, to see a certain nightclub on the way, then who could blame her?

Of course, that was the perfect moment for her father to _ambush_ her.

...

Karin peeked out from the side of the hedge, most of her body hidden, her eyes wide as they stared out towards the nightclub. She ignored the temptation to shiver as she looked around, eyeing the _police_ in the area. She couldn't help the thought that something felt off. Everyone seemed... _Slow. _It wasnt really obvious per say but she'd caught hints of it here and there. Moments where people just _stood_ there... Not doing or saying anything before going back to their... _monotone_selves? Turning her gaze towards the other occupation, she found herself frowning when she took in the _news_ crew, desperately trying to get through.

They didnt seem as _affected _as the law enforcement... though the fact they were having so much trouble to get was pretty odd, considering it hadn't been too difficult for her... In fact, she'd practically walked in. No one, assuming they'd seen her, had given her any trouble...

"Ooh?" A voice remarked suddenly from behind her, causing her to jump, startled. She promptly twisted on her feet before automatically freezing as she eyed the stranger before her.

"What do we have here..?" He questioned, his lanky frame swaying the slightest as amusement danced in his eyes.

"W-What?" She questioned, her breathing rapid. Her eyes _tearing_ up. "_W-Who are you..?" _She could feel her conscious slipping the slightest. She couldn't even make out the man's expression anymore.

And then, it all stopped. The tension, pressure and everything else disappeared within a second.

Karin found herself holding her knees in an attempt to stay upright, her eyes widened but no longer tearing as her breathing slowed to a more comfortable level.

She blinked a few times before raising her head, her brows furrowed at the surprised look on the strangers face. Though the expression didn't last as a smile quickly bloomed on it.

"_Remarkable!" _He exclaimed with a clap. "_What strength of will!"_ He added as he turned his head up and laughed.

She found herself blinking still, "What?" She questioned again bemused, she was starting to sound like a broken recorder...

The man promptly froze before lowering his head, meeting her gaze. "Well, I believe... I was sent here for a reason... That I can't remember!" He exclaimed with a smile, as if it explained everything.

Karin blinked, a deadpan look on her face. "What?"

The man didn't seem to care in the slightest as he shrugged. "I mean, you're the only one that _hasn't_ lost the nerve to... Well, do anything." He remarked, idly pointing towards everyone else in the area.

Karin turned back around to look at the rest before to her surprise, she realised that, almost all of them had a _glassy _look to their faces. Her eyes narrowed as she promptly turned back to the stranger as she leapt backwards. "You're the terrorist!" She remarked, her finger pointed towards him as her eyes widened.

_Askin_ gave her a deadpan look. "Yes, I am. Anyway, where were we, my names Askin Nakk Le vaar!" He exclaimed with another smile.

Karin blinked as she felt herself loosen up the slightest at his behaviour.

"Well, what's your name?" Askin suddenly questioned when she gave no reaction.

"I am not telling a terrorist what my name is..." She stated.

He blinked at her before shrugging. "Fair enough-" Before his eyes minutely widened as he sniffed the air.

Karin felt sweat buildup at the sudden expression the terrorist's face took on.

_"Is... Is that coffee I smell?" _He questioned, a morbidly fascinated look to his face as he gazed at her in a new light.

Karin sweatdropped as she considered her options. The man was willing to take a nightclub hostage. Options considered.

"Yes," She stated carefully, as she slowly unclasped her backpack and removed the bottle strapped to the side. "It's still war-" She didn't even get to finish as the man quickly snatched it out of her hand.

"This is clearly a sign! For you to not only find yourself in my path but also hold your own in my presence _and_ have exactly what I needed..." He stated with a satisfied sigh before shaking his head. "I can feel it... Truly feel it," He remarked a hand on his chest.

Karin was _really _regretting her life choices at the look she was getting.

**"You're going to change the world! I just know it!"** He remarked with absolute certainty, one hand suddenly on her shoulder.

She blinked a few times at the sudden contact and words.

_"...I am going to be late for school..."_

...


	18. Ch11 Yamamoto, Byakuya

Yamamoto sighed as he stared ahead at the injured man laid out on the bed before him. Unohana's reiatsu covering him from head to toe, with an _unreasonable_ level of concentration on the middle. He knew it took more then that to fix a hole in the chest. He'd certainly seen her fix enough broken bodies...

_Is she saving it_..?

Given her barracks had recently been destroyed, Yamamoto made the wise decision not to ask. He also made an idle note to think up some form of compensation for the woman.

Before she got too upset. It wouldn't do to have an upset Captain.

He made another note to ask the Eleventh Division Lieutenant for her opinion...

He turned his focus back to the bedridden captain, taking in the man's expression first. Frankly... He couldn't help but _admire_the mans will. Even now, injured and unconscious as he was, the man defied the world with a grin that didn't belong. An expression that challenged _all. _With skill to _match_ it.

Yamamoto hadn't seen so much sheer _potential_ in a long time.

And this was him _handicapped?_ This was with him openly admitting to the fact he was not fit for duty? He'd heard Hitsugaya's report of the battle he'd witnessed. Of Aizen's pure utter domination of _that monster. _

That monster who could not only send what amounted to a weakened _copy_ of himself in his place, who if not contained_ fast enough _would've rained a devastation unlike any other on his home, but at the same time create _sentient constructs_ capable of crippling one of his more powerful _Captains._

Not to mention the consistent attacks on the _Rukongai_. Threatening the Balance... Though the old-man had a sneaking suspicion he was only trying to distract him, as all of the blasts had been contained... But to be able to shoot _hundreds_ of _cero's._.. From _Hueco Mundo no less. _The sheer number and power had utterly shocked him... To think he'd been doing that whilst splitting his attention across all of _seireitei? _

Yet, Aizen Sosuke had sent him running with his tail between his legs.

It had taken the appearance of what was likely his greatest fighter, the true danger as far as Aizen was concerned... With _good reason_, to put him down.

Though it hadn't stopped him from pushing Shunsui into _knocking_ him out cold. The former duel-wielder hadn't cared whatsoever about the fact, nor did he look remotely regretful that he'd effectively knocked out someone who had a hole in their chest.

Not that he could blame him... It had been rather tasteless of him to joke about such a thing. Even now, the man, currently on the opposite side of the room, looked _miserable_ as he stared at his stump.

Still bleak as things looked, he found himself wondering what would've happened if Aizen hadn't showed up in time... What would've happened if Aizen hadn't warned them...

He couldn't help the shudder that went through him at such a thought.

Every worst fear imaginable had shown it's face to him today.

And Aizen had _laughed_ at them all.

Played every event like _clockwork._

Yamamoto, instinctively, knew that the moment Aizen had come back should've been the moment his control over the timeline ended.

Yet, Aizen had likely planned for that _and more_.

The man was without a shadow of a doubt, the most _powerful_ piece on the board. From his knowledge to his prowess, the man was without equal. Even he'd be winded trying to pull off such a Hado without incantation but to do what he did..? To release a _full-powered_ Hado like that... Without risking _major_ damage to one's _soul_? The only way he knew to make up for the missing incantation for the high level ability was to overpower it with reiatsu, with the bare minimum being _thrice_ the original cost... Where every iota added, if not concentrated properly, could risk forever crippling one's ability to use Reiatsu.

To do it without a single _drop_ over the original cost should've been impossible.

_Yet Aizen had done it in front of him._

It was likely easier to get into the upper echelons of Seireitei's _nobility_ then it was to master such a thing...

To be able to summon such unbelievable power in seconds...

And given the way he's treated everyone_, _he _knew_ it. Knew his position was without equal. Which only bought out the more sombre question.

Just what had become of his beloved Seireitei? To force the kind of life that resulted in turning men into monsters_,_ on one of his captains. To force their very soul into pure defiance, defiance against the world, defiance against all who would threaten him in any way.

He'd seen such a look in himself, long ago.

He'd seen it in Unohana aswell for that matter.

The woman currently had a grimace marring her face.

_"That's _painful_ Nanao-chan!"_

Yamamoto pointedly ignored his 8th division captain, his thoughts warring with themselves as he considered his next plan of action... Once Aizen woke out of his slumber, he intended to set on for Hueco Mundo, he would be remiss to move without consulting the treasure trove of secrets in front of him, and while he would much rather go after his old nemesis first... He _wasn't entirely_ sure what had become of him.

All the same, the Hollow's Sun was the bigger priority for now... His ability to fire across realms was too dangerous to allow to exist. One way or another, he had to be dealt with. And _fast_.

Still, his immediate plans weren't the main concern right now, nor was it the increasingly pale expression on Unohana's face.

_"His body's not normal..."_ Hardly a surprise... He'd certainly expected as much the moment he'd heard he'd come from the future. A natural body would've never been able to make such a trip.

Had Aizen been in any danger, the woman would've had another look entirely... Though it wouldn't hurt to double-check.

"Is there anything to worry about?" He questioned to the point.

The woman took a few more looks before turning to him and shaking her head. _"You could remove his head or heart and he would live to see the next day..." _

Yamamoto's eyes widened the slightest, he hadn't expected the changes to go that far...

"_Though... If you did both..." _The woman added on, a manic gleam to her eyes as she stared at Aizen. A look that thankfully disappeared as soon as it had come.

Yamamoto shook his head the slightest, making a note to question Unohana on what she'd found as soon as there were less ears. Shunsui already looked unhappy with what he'd heard.

Still, again, it wan't necessarily his most immediate concern at the moment.

No... That involved the administration above even him...

The Zero Division, and more importantly, the Soul King would no doubt have their eyes on him... Though he was mostly sure Aizen would refuse the promotion, he was entirely certain they'd offer it to him. The King likely never took his eyes off Yhwach, if only for the danger he presented, and so likely had seen Aizen push him back...

A thousand Years ago. he'd been offered the same for _sparing _him.

Though his own refusal of the promotion had stemmed from the fact the king had _regretted_ it's plea immediately after the fact.

Kings were not allowed the leniency to _change their mind_. Such whims could destroy kingdoms when backed by sharpened blades.

He would not have lasted long in such a... _Changing _environment.

Even still, sure as he was Aizen wouldn't abandon them, perhaps it might be best he simply refused for him...

The Zero Division would _certainly_ understand.

The fate of the kingdom comes before it's kings wants after all.

**"AIZEN-TAICHOU!?"** A shriek promptly filled the room making every occupant but the unconscious Aizen wince. The sound was promptly followed by a screeching halt as Aizen's Lieutenant forced herself to a stop in front of his bed. Her eyes widened as her hands covered her mouth.

...

_..._

_..._  
  
Kuchiki Byakuya was a man known for his composure, for his reasoning, for his ideals and above all, he was known for his integrity.

And in the span of a single day, after a near _century _of work, he'd lost it all.

His composure, broken by _mere words. _

His ideals shattered along with the governing body.

His integrity _destroyed_ in its entirety.

None would ever really see it that way of course, not if he had anything to do with it, but for whatever reason...

Ever since that moment, where he'd accepted any punishment so long as _that creature _got what he'd deserved, he'd suddenly found himself... _Lost._

Everything he'd ever believed in... Had been torn down... By what was likely the _only _working_ brain _in the Gotei 13. **Captain **Aizen Sosuke may wish to play a fool... but Byakuya knew an act when he saw one. And given what he'd heard of the future so far... He could _hardly_ blame him for pursuing the part. There wasn't a single person alive who'd remain sane in a broken world. Not willingly at any rate. _At least_ Aizen had deigned to show it through his rather twisted sense of _humour, _and not in any way else...

Law and Order, to him, had been the foundations his belief had started on, had grown under. He'd innately believed that if a captain could not be held accountable, then those under him couldn't either. Shinigami, from their first step into the academy, are _conditioned_ to follow in a Captains leadership, engraving their superiors ideal into their very bones until the time came to replace them and continue, and in some rare cases improve, on their teachings. It was because of this very system, this very cycle, that had caused him to rush towards law and order at every turn following the _incident_. He'd believed that as long as he was a law-biding captain, then his squad could do no wrong, that _he_ could do no wrong in the eyes of society.

Aizen had taken that away from him, and he'd, in his own mind for the man was impossible to hold a conversation with, _thanked him _for it.

Because in the end. Aizen Sosuke was also a Captain of the Gotei 13, nay, given his knowledge, he was currently the _most important_ captain in the Gotei 13. The man, injured as he was, held more influence, more power over the _populous_, perhaps on equal terms with the commander himself! For he was the very reason their society _still _currently_ stood_.

Though he'd missed most of the fight itself, he'd been there for the trial before it... He'd seen it first hand, seen a _Captain_treat the laws as a _mere_ guideline, seen him go on to break etiquette and tradition as if it was another Monday! Go against the very foundations their society had been built on!

All to save **_his_** sister-in-law.

All to save Kuchiki Rukia.

The man in the span of _minutes_ had done more for the girl then he had in _decades_.

Aizen hadn't needed to, of course. She was supposed to be a witness _against _him. She was supposed to be his _enemy_. Meant to be _that creature's_ trump card against him... Yet Aizen had seen none of that.

He'd seen what everyone else had missed.

He'd seen a girl in over her head trying to protect a human she had no right to associate with... Because of circumstances she'd never had control off... _Much like himself._

Aizen had seen that and _understood _what he'd missed_._

His very purpose should've been focused on saving the future, for that was surely his life's goal, yet he, a man who knew of things that threatened the very fabric of their world, had taken the time out to make sure an _unseated_, as far as the rest were concerned, shinigami was saved.

Byakuya knew, in the grand scheme of things, Kuchiki Rukia likely meant nothing to Aizen Sosuke yet it hadn't stopped him from helping her. It hadn't stopped him from diverting his focus from _his race against time_ to her.

He closed his eyes at the thought. His hand twitching the slightest as he tried to force his breathing to slow.

Aizen Sosuke, whilst knowing of the dangers that would come within _a matter of moments_ had taken the time to make sure his sister-in-law was safe. To make sure she was fine, _physically and mentally... _

While he himself had advocated for her death. And why? Because _of a piece of paper_ that was written a _millennia_ ago.

In the name of law and order. In the name of honour and integrity, he'd condemned his dearly departed wife's sibling to her death. While Aizen _spat_ on it and every shinigami _stupid enough_ to question him. Rank be _damned._

He was a fellow captain for crying out loud! He had no right to question him! Had no ground to! Kuchiki Rukia was a Shinigami first and noble second after all.

Yet... the man had taken his _questioning_ in stride... Taken his _immaturity_ in stride. Practically glimpsed over it as if it weren't important... Because to him... Such things likely meant _nothing_ when compared to the potential doom of their world. When compared to the _horrors _he must've witnessed... _Fellow shinigami rising from the dead to attack their former colleagues being one of the few..._

Byakuya closed his eyes again, unable to stare at the reflection before him, the broken furniture in the background not even registering to him anymore. He knew deep down, as much as it pained him to realise, that if the roles had been reversed, he would've _never_ let the man walk away with such an insult...

Frankly... Given everything that's happened...

Was it any wonder Senbonzakura _refused_ to speak to him?

Was it any wonder his Zanpakuto's voice had _silenced_ _itself_.

Was it any wonder it thought him _unworthy_ to so much as speak to, let alone_ hear _anymore_._

...


	19. Omakes! Some by me! Some by sane people!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are all omakes!

**...**

**-Gin 'Cries' Wolf-**

  
"Captain..." Kira called out somewhat weakly beside him, the lieutenant doing his best to avoid Yamamoto's grave look.  
  
"Quiet," Snapped Gin. This time... This time it was going to work... There was no way Aizen could cover this one up! He knew he was having one of his secret meetings with the Espada! He'd just as much said so!  
  
"This is the fifth time captain, that you've come to me with words of treason from one of our own,"  
  
"I am telling you he's evil! I don't know how he got the Hogyoku from Kuchiki without anyone knowing but it was him!"  
  
"And this Hogyoku is the same one he 'used' to 'kidnap' the Ryoka girl?"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"Captain, the Ryoka girl was in her house the entire time... Her frien-"  
  
"Izuru," Gin stated passively, his neck turning almost mechanically. Before he turned back towards the unimpressed commander when his aid quieted.  
  
"And you're saying he used it to create the 'Espada' of Hueco Mundo?  
  
Gin nodded fervently to the question.  
  
"I am telling you this time you'll see for sure! There's no way he can cover this one up!"  
  
...  
  
"Well?" Yamamoto questioned indifferently as he took a look around the empty palace. "I don't see any proof, unless you brought me here to tell me Aizen built this as some kind of secret base?"  
  
Gin twitched as he stared around the empty throne room, "Well he did- Where the hell are the Espada!?" He questioned with a shrill voice.  
  
...  
  
Elsewhere in the middle of an undisclosed location in the human world. "Lord Groban, is there a reason were having our meeting in this... Cesspool of danger?" Ulquiorra questioned in a low voice.  
  
Aizen grinned, "This is the only place on earth they'll never look for any of you,"  
  
"What is this place called?" Stark questioned somewhat eagerly, a place he can truly laze about...  
  
"Australia,"

...

...

...

**-Straight Cat Strut by Yrael-**

  
-x-x-x-x-x-  
  
“Aizen-tai...” Soi Fong’s voice drifted off as she found her charge in the cell strutting up and down, making wild gestures at the air.  
  
Beside her Shunsui and Ukitake, whom had come at Genryusai’s command began to stare as well.  
  
The normally prim and proper Aizen, the paragon of a perfect shinigami, stood facing them in his usual attire...plus an oversized bowler hat, an obviously fake mustache and a gaudy cane.  
  
“I say good sir” He said in a bad British accent, brandishing the cane about. “Do you know nothing of honour!?”  
  
She tried mightily to not frown...and to fight the tic in her eyebrow. “The hour has come and the trial awaits you, we are here to escort you there.”  
  
Aizen twirled his fake mustache. “Very good, very good.” He walked out of the cell, strutting like an oversized rooster, his sandals clacking along the floor like dancing shoes.  
  
He danced forwards and backwards, shoulders swinging, striking poses here and there, tossing the hat and twirling the gaudy cane, humming to himself.  
  
“...you’ve been caught by, you’ve been struck by a smooth criminal...”  
  
She must have done something because suddenly Aizen stopped dancing, Shunsui gazed ever so slightly at her and Ukitake carefully looked away as if he was paying attention to something else.  
  
Aizen, or the man claiming to be him frowned as he stared at her, looking deeply into her eyes. “Geez. I forgot how uptight you were before getting laid by Yoruichi. Like...damn.”  
  
In the pin drop silence that followed, Aizen grabbed the bewildered Ukitake and dragged the unsuspecting captain into a waltz.  
  
“Speaking of people who need to get laid, you need to give up on Kyouraku, Jushiro. He’s emotionally unavailable and unreliable.”  
  
Without missing a beat, Ukitake moved out of the dance, frowning as Aizen continued on dancing without a partner. “Do you take anything seriously?”  
  
“After having lived through several world ending events, you appreciate life more.” He replied, smiling in response. “Heavens, after you died, Kyouraku became such an asshole. He was way worse than the Old Man”.  
  
Beside her, Soi Fong felt Kyouraku stiffen.  
  
“Oh yeah?” The older man asked.  
  
Aizen smiled wistfully and for a moment he seemed like the man they knew. “We all grow up, Kyouraku. It is the mark of our character how we change and who we become.”  
  
He suddenly tossed his hat into the air and caught it with the end of his cane, twirling around, and placing it on his head, as he played with the false mustache.  
  
“I for example, became the greatest dancer in all of Sereitei!”  
  
Soi Fong watched non plussed, as the man who used to contribute such serious and thoughtful haikus to the monthly newsletters began to tap dance towards the meeting hall, humming to himself.  
  
Kyouraku scratched his chin. “You know...I’m pretty convinced that’s him now. Whatever may have happened.”  
  
-x-x-x-x-x-

...

...

...

**-Alt-Trial (Alternative questions)-**

  
  
I coughed, quickly getting the attention of the other captains, as I made to ask my question. Though I couldn't help the amused expression at Kisuke's frowning one.  
  
"Urahara I only have one question really..."  
  
Urahara's eyes narrowed the slightest at the wording as the silence fills the air.  
  
"It involves Shihion Yoroichi,"  
  
Panic, fear, _affection_ and a myriad of other emotions filled the man at the sudden words as a wave of killing intent suddenly crashed into everyone.  
  
Soi-fon's here.  
  
Right.  
  
"Are you or are you not the fathe- _Did he actually just disappear?"  
_  
I blinked at the suddenly empty spot in front of me. The captains just as confused as they looked around the room for the elusive trespasser.  
  
_I can't believe that worked..._  
  
...

**-Alt-Trial by frozenchicken- (Genuine username)**

Kisuke frowned internally. Aizen's answers didn't make sense! They were clearly impossible, yet this trial ensured only answers that the answerer believed inherently could be given. Could Aizen have used illusions on himself? No, he would still be aware of the use of illusions, which would undermine his certainty. Perhaps this was a fake? An illusioned dupe? He straightened and enunciated clearly.  
  
"This question is not directed to Aizen Sosuke, but instead to the person in front of me. Who exactly are you?"  
  
  
\---------------------------------------------------------  
  
_Surely he didn't expect asking that was going to-_  
  
**_Damn._**  
  
"I'm a random nobody who received great spiritual power. I've somehow ended up as a Captain of one of the Squads of Soul Society despite having done nothing to deserve ending up in this position. However, now that I am here and armed with knowledge of the many threats and enemies to the people here, I've decided I need to do my part to help protect everyone whose lives I care about."  
  
**_....That was actually competent._**  
  
Toushiro boggled. "Who knew Aizen had such deep self-esteem issues?"  
  
\--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Who exactly are you?"  
  
"I'm actually an artificially-created being, born from the usage of the nigh-omnipotent wish-granting device you created, as a dark reflection of your own self and goals."  
  
"-You mean-"  
  
"-That's right.** URAHARA KISUKE, YOU ARE MY FATHER.**"  
  
"....You do realise I've seen that movie?"  
  
  
\--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Who exactly are you?"  
  
"I'm the second son of the Soul King. I was supposed to spend most of my days in Seritei, but after a conflict with some thugs who were up to no good, the people around me got scared by the power I revealed during the fight. As such, I chose to join the Gotei 13, even as it basically turned my life upside down.  
  
And that's how I became the Soul Prince of Squad 5."  
  
"I've seen that show too. You need to stop quoting things."  
  
"How did you even-what?"

...

...

...

**-Coyote Stark's New Contract-**

_"I gave you some crackin' Grems and made you su~per popular."  
  
Stark raises his hand.  
  
"At the cost of being a gag character,"  
  
"... I see. I am assuming there's mor-"  
  
"Your name's Josh Groban."  
  
"Is that all-" This guys an ass.  
  
"You're a furry." Excuse Me!? What The Fuck Did Four Eyes Just Call Me!?  
  
"What?" Calm down Lil!  
  
"No wait, you made that choice yourself..."  
  
Eyebrow twitch. __Kill. Him._  
_  
"Is-"  
  
"Ulquiorra's your best friend." ...Atleast it's not Nnoitra..? I don't know! They're both creepy but that ones not a pervert (I think).  
  
"...That doesn't sound too bad."_  
  
_"Barragan wants to kill you." __What the fuck is this guys problem!? See man I told you not to be such a lazy jacka-__ Mute.  
  
"There it is." _He sighed.  
  
_Maybe if you got more missions don- __Mute!_

**...**

**...**

**...**

-**The Truth Hurts (Gin)-**

  
  
I calmly sipped the tea in front of me, a grimace filling my expression in the process, before promptly putting it down and shaking the taste out of my mouth. Just ahead of me, Gin sat, a perfectly passive expression on his face as he stared at the empty cup before slowly raising his head back up and _sighing_ dejectedly.  
  
"Hey," I suddenly called out, earning the man's attention before leaning in the slightest.  
  
"...Yes?" He questioned, his hand twitching towards his Zanpakuto for some reason.  
  
"You want to know a secret?" I questioned with a small grin on my face.  
  
Gin narrowed his eyes the slightest as he firmly grasped the pommel of his sword. "...What secret is that?" He questioned somewhat curious.  
  
"You remember that time we faked my death and I told everyone I am from the future?" I questioned, though to my own surprise, his expression turned passive once again as he answered.  
  
"Yes... Let me guess, _you're not actually from the future!?" _He remarked dramatically, his mouth wide open.  
  
I blinked at the words.  
  
"Yea, how'd you know?"  
  
Gin twitched at the question, "_I figured it out,_" He deadpanned.  
  
For whatever reason, his anger only seemed to escalate at my genuine joy.  
  
"_So...You know the truth!?_" I questioned wide-eyed.  
  
Gin blinked, his anger momentarily dissipating at the words, "Yes... But I think you should tell me just-"  
  
"That I am a _human_ who basically possessed Aizen's body and am actually from another world?"  
  
Gin opened his mouth to respond before I promptly continued over him.  
  
"Where this world's basically a story written by an overworked pervert?" I finished with a small grin, hopeful that someone might finally understa-  
  
"..._Sosuke,_ If I stop trying to kill you, will you stop _lying_ to me?" He questioned, a despaired tone to his voice as he looked me over.  
  
I blinked again, caught off-guard by the words, "You're_ still_ trying to kill me?" I questioned caught off-guard. "I thought you stopped after the whole trial fiasco!" I added on genuinely shocked.  
  
Gin twitched at the words before he promptly picked up the tea-set and flash-stepped away.  
  
...


	20. Ch11: Urahara Kisuke

...

-Tessai-

"Kisuke-san, are you sure sure you wish to go now?" Tessai questioned from beside the man, the worried expression on his face intensifying as he watched Urahara open the gate between realms.

"The Hogyoku's more than likely in Hueco Mundo..." Urahara remarked passively, his expression shadowed. "With Aizen still in Soul Society, it's our best bet to get it now."

Tessai, at the proclamation, minutely turned his head towards the gagged and bound captain in the room, currently being pushed by Ginta with a _stick. _His thoughts however whirling around the idea Hueco Mundo was safer than Soul Society... For some odd reason, the thought sent red flags running up his spine, as if they were missing something crucial...

"Besides... The Gotei 13's _benevolence_ towards our shop's existence has more than likely ended..." Urahara added on, his thoughts surrounding Rukia.

"What about Yoru-" Ururu started.

"How do you expect me to save her alone!?" Urahara _immediately _snapped towards the girl in the room, causing her to stiffen.

_"Sorry..."_  
  
Tessai's brow creased at the outburst, unsure of what to do nor say, Urahara hadn't come back from Soul Society unscathed, though he simply refused to explain what had happened in detail.

"Let's go," The man shook his head and stated with a sigh, "Before she wakes up and tries to blow Karakura Town up again..."

"Why are we even taking her with us?" Ginta questioned him, quieter than usual. Tessai reminded himself not to overwork him for his _courage. _He hadn't felt like opening any unseen wounds himself.

"..._I doubt any other captains willing to come see the truth for themselves..."_ He admitted morosely before he turned towards him. "Don't forget to have _them_ follow us as soon as you find them," He still wasn't entirely sure what had ended up happening to Hirako and everyone else. Though if he had to guess...

"I'll send you the signal if I find them in Hueco Mundo, until then try and lay low... It's currently open season on _Urahara Shoten,"_

Tessai, as much as he didn't want to agree with the man, nodded.

...

-Kisuke-

He'd been arrogant, he realised, rather too late.

Far too late.

Urahara suppressed the fifth sigh that minute. His gaze locked ahead of him as he walked on through the darkness. Ururu and Ginta mumbling by themselves as they each pushed the cart carrying the unconscious, sealed, captain.

He shouldn't have assumed Aizen would slow down following his exile... He'd been his only enemy after all, at least the only one he knew off. He shouldn't have just assumed that he himself was the only that progressed. That, with all the _freedom_he'd obtained would help him develop enough to turn the tides.

To come back far more _dangerous_ than he could've ever anticipated.

The unknown threat that could end him at the _worst possible moment.  
_  
He'd known Aizen would go on to improve his powers, his abilities and of course, his still yet unknown Zanpakuto, but he hadn't expected that.  
Even then. Whatever his theories had on the man's sword itself, none of them accounted for the trial going the way it did. Which either meant he had an ally with a similar power... Or Aizen had somehow figured out how to modify his own soul. Successfully enough to do... _That._

He wasn't sure what was worse.

And that was to say nothing of his use of _Black Coffin._  
  
He'd thought Aizen would stagnate.

He hadn't considered him to _evolve. _Not without the Hogyoku...

After all, it had been his goal, one of the few potential ways to truly evolve...

And unlike Aizen, he hadn't just considered looking for another way...

His freedom had allowed to master Kido of all kind.

Aizen had used that time to reach a new level. Had figured out how to do what he did, without a care. As if he wasn't breaking _history._

He himself had spent most of his free time working on and improving his knowledge surrounds around souls.

Aizen had somehow figured out how to twist the very fabric of his soul... Enough to fool the _governing body_ of soul society.

His arrogance had led him here. Had led him into that _game_ unprepared.

And now here he was, running off to Hueco Mundo having lost near everything.

And perhaps the worst part of it...

_The bastard had been toying with him. _Not once, not a single damn moment did the bastard take him _seriously_.

And in response? What had he, _the Urahara Kisuke_, given him in return?

His. Own. Bloody. Partner.

...

Urahara's nerves tinged as he rapidly increased his pace, his eyes darting around the expanding darkness. It was taking too long to reach the other realm-

'Fwoosh'

His eyes darted to the side the moment he felt the miniature flare, of what? He wasn't sure.

Though he had no intention of sticking around to find out as he promptly leapt forward, his reiatsu quickly covering Soi-fon and picking her up.

He ignored Ginta's curse, his gaze locked ahead, his Zanpakuto in his hand.

Though he never landed as a flash suddenly encompassed him and company.

...

Urahara blinked his eyes open, rapidly straightening up before he _felt_ the smothering reiatsu in the air. When he made to get up, he felt that same reiatsu crash down onto him filling him with dread.

_What the hell is going on!? _His frantic thoughts didn't help him as he fell to one knee, his gaze still up-

He held in the wince at the sudden flash of blue before him. The reiatsu coming out of thin air before condensing into what looked like a screen that dwarfed him and the rest behind him put together.

Briefly turning back he noticed the others had yet to wake. He quickly turned his attention back to the giant screen as an image flickered on. He blinked at the sight of the pink-haired _stranger..._  
  
"-ello! You've reached administration-"

_What._  
  
"-my name is Grantz!"

_The._  
  
"-how may I help-"

_**Hell is going on!?**  
_  
"Holy shit! _The Urahara Kisuke!_" The voice suddenly exclaimed bringing him out of his stupor.

He blinked at the sheer _joy_ that had suddenly filled the stranger's expression.

"Ok! I don't usually do this but seeing as it's you..." The man remarked _twirling_ one of his locks.

His nerves quickly started to scream at him to run at the sight of the _demonic_ smile that had filled the creature's face.

"I'll let you choose. You can either start at the bottom like everyone else..." The creature stated, a malevolent aura quickly filling the clearing, with a smile.

He quickly tensed as he tried and failed to reach for the Zanpakuto on the ground before him, his body frozen.

"Or you can go straight to the _boss_ stage," The creature remarked, a dark glint in it's eyes.

"Aizen's here!?" Urahara quickly exclaimed at the sudden words, his eyes panicked... Atleast until he took in the utter baffled look that had filled the creature's expression.

_"Who the fuck is Aizen? Gah, doesn't matter! You've ruined it! Hurry up and choose, stage 1 or boss room!"_ The creature's face quickly turned passive, an utterly dull expression filling it as he leaned his head on one of his arms_._  
  
Urahara briefly wondered if it said anything about him that he felt somewhat insulted, still he steeled his nerves and opened his mouth, briefly earning a curious look out of the pink-haired lunatic.

"What's stage 1?"

The creature blinked, his tattoo'd eye twitching. "The Adjuchas Forest."

His eyes minutely widened at the words.

"Don't you mean Menos forest?" He promptly questioned, his words harried. His dread only intensifying at the sudden grin that grew on the creature's face.

_"Nope, sorry buddy, wrong Hu_a_co Mundo,"_ He remarked, flashing him a set of sharpened teeth.

He made to open his mouth, still unsure of what to even say, before the _horror_ spoke over him.

"Just so you know, there's a bounty on your head over there... The winner get's Eren Jeegerj' spot-" The horror's face twisted into what likely amounted to a snort-"- on the council, now choose, no more hints,"

He, given he was practically frozen on the spot, hadn't even needed to put any effort into holding a passive expression on his face as he stared at the two boxes that suddenly manifested in front of him.

-Stage 1- -Boss Stage-

He promptly closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and forcibly grabbed his Zanpakuto, his rapidly shredding hand ignored as he raised the sword. Entirely indifferent to the creature's widened eyes.

"I've quite frankly _had it."_ He opened his eyes, a livid expression forming. **_"Bankai!"_**

...

Urahara blinked, bemusement marring his face as he stared at the non-plussed reaction on the screen before him. His aching hand a sore reminder of it's state, said hand quickly dropping his sword as it reached magnitudes of pain he hadn't prepared for.

His words had resulted in nothing but a humorous expression from the creature inside the screen.

When the screen to enter a _password_ popped up before him, he let out a groan.

-Admin Privileges Required-

He grit his teeth as he quickly pulled his shredded hand back to himself, grasping hold of it and attempting to cover it in reiatsu, his eyes barely holding themselves from tearing up as he _glared_ at the chuckling _monster._

_"Hard Mode it is," _

The creature remarked as it snapped it's fingers.

His eyes barely had the time to widen as he watched his Zanpakuto disappear. The panic increasing when he felt the sudden loss of _something_ deep within, his connection to his Benihime disappearing with it.

The last thing he saw was a brilliant white flash that quickly encompassed everything.

...

He reopened his eyes, his gaze snapping to every barren side as he whirled on his feet. When he noticed the absence of pain, his gaze immediately snapped towards his _unscarred _hand. Though his relief was short-lived as he suddenly felt a small piece of skin _slowly_ tear itself off. On the other side of his hand he found a large number etched on it, a number that slowly started to count down, each tick coming with more pain as his hand slowly _reverted._

_"Tick tock, the bone pops and off your hand goes~" _

A sing-song voice startled him out of his pain, his eyes snapping towards the empty clearing before him. It was only then he'd realised Ginta and Ururu were missing, while just behind him was Soi-fon's crumpled form.

When his eyes landed on the _cracked_ Sealing surrounding the captain, his hand promptly reminded him of his pain, earning the first scream from him.

_"The Hollows swell as the doorman bells, their hunger set ablaze~" _The voice continued, though this time, Urahara noticed something shift in the distance. A line slowly forming, growing closer and larger with each second of pain that wracked across his hand. His eyes bloodshot from the pain.

It took him a moment to realise the line was made up entirely of _humanoid_ hollows. Hundreds, if not thousands, of _Adjuchas class hollows_ _dashed_ towards him, trampling and cutting across one another in the process.

_"The Captain's slumber tears asunder as~ Sheee~ Joooiins~ Theee Fraaaay~"_ Grantz voice's quickly jumped to a high note, as an image of him flourishing his arms, a manic grin on his face appeared in the middle of the sky.

Urahara minutely turned his gaze behind him, eyeing the Captain as she silently released her Zanpakuto, her expression cold, her eyes ignoring the _impossible _mountain of Adjuchas Hollows in favour of him.

...


	21. Arc 1 Fin

I blinked my eyes open, my expression somewhat panicked as I found myself in the middle of a _strange_ city. My eyes snapping to and fro, taking in the glistering buildings, unbelievably clean pathways and cloudless sky, as my mind whirled around trying to figure out where I was...

The last thing I could remember was... Ulquiorra..? Sticking a hand through my chest...

_"You're a child?"_ The sudden voice quickly spooked me as I whirled on my feet, snapping my gaze to the sound.

I blinked at the sight of _Aizen_ standing just behind me, a bemused expression on his face as he looked me over.

_"You're a child..."_ He repeated, his expression minutely changing as I finally found my voice.

"I'll have you know, I fully qualify as an adult in my world!" I remarked, crossing my arms.

Aizen at first didn't seem like he was going to respond before to my own surprise, the man raised his head and _laughed._

"A child!" He repeated, his guffaw increasing and my panic settling. "A child managed to trick The Gotei 13!" He'd gone into full-blown laughter at the thought.

I twitched with each second of laughter that passed.

...

I took in the vast expanse, the spiralling city grabbing my attention away from the _much_ calmer captain behind me. Eyeing the pristine _palace_ in the centre.

"Magnificent, is it not? Your... Interference has allowed me to recreate my inner world into a _perfect one._" Aizen's voice reverberated across the open city, a proud look on his face as he took everything in.

A small part of me wondered if he _preferred_ this world.

I quickly put my hands in my pockets and _shrugged_. "Where's Kyoka?" I decided to ask, earning another sigh from the man.

"Not at all your concern..." He stated passively, though his gaze didn't meet mine making me wonder if he even knew himself... "I am not sure why I expected you, of all people, to appreciate this-"

"There's no one else here, must be pretty lonely," I spoke over him, missing the way his eyes minutely widened at my answer before promptly turning towards him. "So.. You wanna explain what the hell happened? 'Cos I am pretty sure none of today was supposed to go the way it did,"

Aizen however gave me no answer, his thoughts elsewhere as he stared out at his inner world, for whatever reason, my earlier answer seemed to have struck a chord with him.

I briefly wondered when I'd wake out of the Espada induced coma, before he broke out of his stupor and turned towards me, his earlier look replaced with something I couldn't decipher. A moment passed as he continued to just_ stare _before he let out another sigh, shaking his head minutely in the process, his expression once again changed, to... Well, it wasn't hostile and frankly that was all that mattered.

"Sit down... There's quite a bit to go through..." The man finally stated.

...

**Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget feedback!**


	22. Arc 2 Ch1

I calmly opened my eyes, Aizen's one hundredth warning echoing through my head as I raised myself into a sitting position. We'd spent the last who knows how long working out the kinks as he explained what he knew-

Apperantly I done goof'd it with Gremmy. Hogyoku's and reality warpers don't mix. Go figure.

-as I explained what I remembered, though apparently I am _incorrect_ in just about everything, and using these two wells of corrupted and poisoned knowledge, we came up with a fool-proof plan!

Still, his knowledge surrounding the rest of the Quincies hadn't been enough to explain Yhwach'_s _presence.

Fortunately, I had very good idea of what probably happened! Yhwach saw the new future and promptly lost his shit!

Aizen, like with near everything else I said, didn't agree.

He himself believes the _axe-crazy sadist-_ Yes, that's the official term and no one can change my mind- sensed the disturbance in the balance and-

Oh my god, Aizen made a Star Wars reference! And I didn't even notice!

_ ...God help us all... _

_Anyway. He believes the axe-crazy sadist sensed something amiss with the world and decided to check it out, and well, the rest, and for now,him are history._

"Aizen-" I heard Momo start up, bringing me out of my stupor, somewhat surprised she was standing there, her voice as shrill as ever, before I promptly raised a hand and pulled her towards me into a one-armed hug.

_..._ Aizen internally sighed for the nth time.

I pulled back from the now frozen Lieutenant, a warm smile on my face as I locked gazes with her.

"_Hello, Momo," _My grin however didn't last, a serious expression quickly filtering in as I set forth with Aizen's and I's plan-

_You've already ruined it._

Cool.

_Guess I am improvaizen. Get it!?- _The following shock of pain was, for once, understandable.

_..._

"Ai-Aizen-taichou.." The frozen girl started, her stutter immediately showing before I quickly spoke up over her.

"We'll talk later, for now I believe you have some duties to get to? I would much rather return to a functioning barracks," I remarked pointedly.

The girls eyes minutely widened as she straightened up, her gaze swiping between the other captains in the room before she nodded her head stiffly and disappeared to god knows where.

_I am pretty sure Gremmy blew up my chambers..._

I turned my gaze over towards the other three captains in the room, Shunsui thankfully having dismissed his competent lieutenant.

"So, first things first," I quickly turned to Unohana, "Where's the Ryoka girl?"

The woman quickly exchanged gazes with the Captain-commander in the room at the words, her eyes minutely narrowed before she received a curt nod and turned back towards me.

"In the fourth division barracks..." She answered carefully as she kept appraising me, her eyes brimming with something akin to curiosity?

I nodded at the answer. "Send someone to get her,"

"Is there a particular reason?" Yamamoto questioned whilst Unohana flared her Reiatsu as a signal for one of her squad members.

"Shunsui needs a hand job done," I shrugged.

_Context! What is the matter with you!? _Aizen _immediately_ screeched into my head.

Shunsui minutely twitched at the words, his working limb twitching with him. "I am going to need a bit more context..." The man stated tersely, his smile forced.

I, naturally, shrugged. "She's going to make you a _very_ happy man,"

Que more consistent twitching. Poor man's going to have lines marring his face permanently at his point.

"Goddamit Aizen..." The man decidedly settled for as he sighed. "Would it have killed you to mention her ability to regrenrate limbs earlier?" He questioned, his tone more questioning then certain as he looked me over.

_"Who said anything about regeneration?" _I grinned back in return. "She's going to be quite rejectful of the premise I assure you!"

Shunsui promptly turned towards Unohana and asked her how stable my condition was.

"Aizen, I would appreciate a little more seriousness from you..." Yamamoto ignored Shunsui's plea to put me back in a coma.

I promptly rolled my eyes, "Oh alright, but we can't talk too much out here, not until we get rid of the Quincy spy nest hiding in our backyard."

_Dead silence_ met my words as Yamamoto's eyes narrowed, Unohana's expression twisted into a _snarl _and Shunsui promptly-

_"Goddamit Aizen!"_

"..." Whatever Yamamoto had been planning to say died on his lips as he looked me over again, his expression softening the slightest as he settled for flaring his own reiatsu, likely calling the rest of the captains for another meeting.

Naturally, that was the moment I decided to whoop out, "Ok! Get Shunsui a hand job!-" The man in question promptly grit his teeth, though he thankfully made no attempt to speak up, "-Get rid of the infestation, then it's off to bombing Huaco Mundo!" I stated with another grin.

"...It's Hu_e_co Mundo..." Shunsui finally decided to interject, an irritated look to his face.

I blinked at the correction, "_Wanna bet?"_

Unfortunately, before Shunsui could lose his alcohol for the foreseeable future, Yamamoto evidently had enough as he urged everyone to move to a more _secure _location.

If only there was such a thing.

...

...

_So what do you think? I do good or what?_

_You, _immediately_ went against the only role I had set for you... All I needed you to do was keep quiet..._ The resigned voice echoed through my head, filling me with a certain sense of prid-

_Fortunately, I quite frankly fully expected that-_

_No..._

_-knowing your tendencies-_

_No..! Don't you dare! _

_And thankfully, besides your... Earnest, and admittedly useful reaction to my lieutenant, everything is-_

_Don't you dare say it!_

_-going according to Keikaku._

_Son of a-_

_..._


	23. Arc 2 Ch1 Interlude: Ulquiorra

**Author** Notes: _Super short chapter, but **super important. In fact **_this may just be the most confusing chapter _**yet**_, I recommend everyone either review their conclusions or pm me directly because I _seriously _doubt anyone's going to get this the first time.

_ **Enjoy!** _

...

Ulquiorra paced around his room, a frown marring his expression as his mind whirled.

His vision regarding Urahara Kisuke had come true. _Down to the last detail_.

Well.

All but one.

Urahara Kisuke hadn't mentioned this _Aizen Sosuke _in his vision_._

His name had been shrouded.

He'd never heard it until he'd seen Grantz's fifth felony today... And given what he'd already seen there, the 4th +Espada had no intention of alerting anyone, but that was neither here nor there. He was more worried about the stranger.

The same man who also just happen to be _directly_ responsible for derailing his vision surrounding his leader.

Ulquiorra stopped on his feet, his eyes narrowing in the process.

That meant for whatever reason, he couldn't see this Aizen Sosuke...

Naturally.

Ulquiorra quickly grabbed hold of his right eye, his reiatsu quickly putting a hole in time and space, before he shoved his arm in once again.

That meant he simply _had_ to try.

...

His eye had never closed, even mid the _spiritual_ _travel_ to the nearest point surrounding his chosen target. Of course that meant he'd noticed the subtle differences _immediately_.

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes, his second having already grown back, as he noticed the _time_ difference.

Too long.

He knew he was to meet the man again soon, he could feel it. Yet his vision was showing something that was _months_ into the future. He quickly turned to find the aforementioned captain, noticing for the first time, the second man in the small room.

The captain-commander himself. The two were currently sat around a small _chess_ set. The brown haired captain sat ramrod straight, _oozing_ pure confidence. His expression _almost_ terrifying.

"I see, I am not entirely surprised Captain Aizen _could switch himself_ like that... Nor that he_ went_ through with it," The commander spoke up, quickly attracting Ulquiorra's attention quickly causing him to frown further in confusion as he wondered what that could possibly mean... Why would the old man refer to him like-

"Yes, _Sosuke-kun_ decided it best he simply pretended to join them in my place," _Aizen Sosuke_, for it could not be anyone else! stated, an evil glint forming in his eye.

Yamamoto appraised _Aizen Sosuke's_ sudden move with a keen look, before he raised his head back up. "I am _so_ glad he has such a serious Zanpakuto spirit,"

_What. _Ulquiorra couldn't help the thought.

Not Aizen Sosuke? Nodded his head once before a _terrifying_ grin formed on the man's face.

_"They will suffer,"_

Yamamoto didn't skip the beat. "Yes... Yes they will_," _The old man calmly moved his piece before adding on words that only worsened the expression on the +Espada's face.

_"Better them than us,"_

Ulquiorra promptly decided that was enough as he hurried back onto his body, his mind focused on the fact he'd provoked a fight with _this demonic being's master._

He really should've taken Josh Groban's fight with the shinigami for a hint, but no, he just had to go and act like Eren of all Hollows-

Ulquiorra twitched the slightest when he realised that despite all of that, his vision hadn't actually showed him _Aizen Sosuke _himself...

...

Don't forget feedback! And yup, Ulquiorra ain't known for his spoilers for nothing! _Everyone will suffer at his hands._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to @Gothickprincess for commenting on almost every chapter!


	24. Arc 2 Ch2

_-A few days in the future-_

I hummed along to a song I had trouble recalling, my head laid back against the seat. I had to hand it to Aizen, the man had good taste when it came to comfort.

Which is probably why he got as lazy as he did. Too much comfort, something he'd lacked whilst in Soul Society, had likely cost him his victory.

He _hated _it every time I brought it up, likely because he usually had no response to it.

Which was mostly due to me debunking him.

Each and every time.

I wasn't sure why, but it was _extremely_ easy to do.

"You seem far more laidback today..." The man's voice quickly brought me out of my stupor, my expression twisting when I noticed his _transformation_ into post Soul Society Aizen...

And no I am not angry because he _refused _to tell me how he managed it. Not one bit.

"Was thinking about why you lost," I shrugged, earning a twitch.

"_You're not even lying..." _His expression twisted again as he remarked.

I blinked at the reaction before I shrugged. "Still don't get why you insist on bringing me here,"

Aizen's expression quickly fixed itself as he sighed. _"I refuse to allow you to waste away hours of your day because you wish to sleep."_

"Ohh!" I stated, my voice full of sarcasm, "So it doesn't have anything to do with the fact were technically in a war zone?"

Aizen however didn't fall for the bait as he rolled his eyes, he'd already fallen for it the last time...

_Really need to change my material with this guy..._

"You really should,"

I twitched.

"It's rather embarrassing,"

I _twitched _again, a small grin however started sprouting on my expression, my sight turned more focused with every second as Aizen's expression twinkled at the sight...

Then he promptly _snorted_ and snapped me out of my stupor, my head quickly shaking before a sheepish look appeared on my face.

"_Whoops,"_

"If you're going to lose it, atleast top your first one." The man sniffed as he turned back towards the glowing blade floating in front of him.

"I'd rather not," I deadpanned.

"Not to say it _wasn't_ magnificent to witness..." The man remarked absentmindedly with glee, his mouth twisting into a smile as he suddenly replayed the memory in front of me. The miniature square showcasing it from my point of view.

I _sighed_ and promptly put on the makeshift night eye mask.

I _refuse_ to lose my sleep over this. Inner world or not, _I am taking a nap._

That was when Aizen promptly woke me up with a shock, my eyes twitching as I eyed the +Espada standing just outside my cell but in front of me all the same, his eyes absolutely _terrified_ as he took me in.

I still don't know why he's so afraid of me... I am honestly a bit hurt...

"Ulquiorra, we've gone over this, I am _your_ prisoner! Not the other way round! I am literally chained-" I raised my hands, "-To the wall! I can't use my reiatsu so I can't do anything! You don't have to be afraid!" I remarked for the thousandth time.

Ulquiorra blinked at my words thoughtfully, though it wasn't long before his expression quickly reverted back.

_"I don't believe you,"_

...

Aizen calmly sipped his afternoon _tea_ as he watched the memory play through. It wouldn't be long before- And here he was.

"Seriously man, what is Ulquiorra's problem!?"

Aizen took another sip. His eyes fully focused on the memory, watching _his_ reaction, wondering if he'd noticed the fact the memory had reset.

"Dude, your tv's bugged,"

_Fascinating._

It wasn't long before the two of them started watching through the memory, the boy _convinced_ he wasn't seeing things and that the memory had _reset_.

And so they'd watch it all the way to the end, because he _refused_ to admit he was wrong.

He idly wondered how long it would take him to realise the memory was in fact the answer-

"You sonofabich," _He deadpanned._

Aizen didn't even bother holding in the sigh that escaped, a tired smile threatening to split his mouth before he contained it and simply pretended he hadn't heard him, his eyes watching what had to be his most _interesting_ memory to date.

...

-Present-

I wasn't at all surprised-

_So you are capable of outright lying,_ Aizen noted out loud in my head. -that the moment we'd been about to leave through the door, something _unexpected_ showed up.

It began with a K and ended with an ass-whooping.

I held in the sigh that threatened to escape as I forced a grin on my face, eyeing a _bored_ and rather serious Kenpachi Zaraki.

"I am _done_ waiting. We're settling this now." The man stated dispassionately as he spat to the side. His bells sprouting what was no doubt going to be a headache and a half.

_... Ah screw it, why not?_

_ ... _

_Shush!_

"Alright, I think we've got time," I shrugged, earning a raised eyebrow and grinding teeth from the Captain commander and 8th division captain respectively.

"This is _hard-" Shunsui started before Kenapchi turned his gaze to him, a challenging look to his face._

_ _"You wanna go first? Lose that other hand aswell?"_ _

And I swear, Shunsui looked _set_ on taking him up on that before I quickly coughed.

"Why don't we just find one of the broken barracks... Can't get any _worse_."

Yamamoto however quickly interjected, his annoyance clear. "The repair work has already _started."_

_Well damn-_

"Rukongai," Kenpachi offered with a shrug, the single word however quickly caused my eyes to narrow.

"We'll catch a lot of souls in the crossfire." I stated, a forced smile on my face.

"So-"

I blinked quickly, my smile slowly disappearing.

"-If they're too stupid to move-"

My expression turned passive, my eyes closing slowly.

"-It's their own fault-"

I reopened them, the second barely passing, and yet all I saw was _red._

_..._

Kenpachi blinked his eyes rapidly as he noticed the subtle shift, something _suffocating_ filling the air.

"_Well, excuse you,"_ Aizen's voice came out almost robot-like in it's pace.

Kenpachi stiffened the slightest as he opened his mouth to speak, the malevolent aura appearing from out of nowhere, quickly filling the room and shrouding the man before him into a silhouette of a demonic-like figure, and tried to keep his gaze locked with him.

"I'd choose my next words very carefully-"

Kenpachi narrowed his eyes at the _sheer_ terror that seemed to rack his body, the feeling entirely unfamiliar to the man. His gaze quickly locked back as a vicious- _Smile? _Appeared on his own face.

"-my worst case scenario always was killing another captain... And while I'd much rather keep my winning streak..." Aizen stated, his hands slowly drawing out his zanpakuto.

"If you insist on being such an _asshole-_" The man's words _grated_ on his skin, the feeling bringing with it a rush of adrenaline unlike any other... He was genuinely afraid of someone! What a feeling! The man's face threatened to split at the strain to smile. He took in Aizen's pointed blade, and just as he was about to raise his own.

The captain-commander promptly _smacked_ his cane onto the ground breaking everyone out of their stupor.

_"_Another time will do_,"_ And that was that. Yamamoto's words immediately _killed_ any excitement he might've had as he _really_ took in the old man's face, noticing for the first time, the sheer determination in it...

_Shit... Must be really important... _Kenpachi sweatdropped.

Aizen promptly blinked and shrugged and simply walked past him.

Without a single care.

Kenpachi's eyes widened minutely as he realised, his body, even with such a blatant _insult_, wasn't all to keen to _fight..._

...He briefly _considered_ going against the commander's order, if only to prove a point...

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget feedback.


	25. Arc 2 Ch3

Shunsui did his best to hide the expression on his face as he minutely turned away from Aizen, to no avail. Because off course, the man quickly raised an eyebrow at him-  
  
"What's everyone waiting for?"  
  
_Oh?_ Shunsui held back the blink as he breathed a brief sigh of relief. Watching on as Aizen turned away and simply walked past the _frozen_ captain.  
  
_Can't really blame him... _He couldn't help the thought as his mind quickly shifted. His own body walking past him mechanically.  
  
Aizen's reiatsu... Well... Suffice to say, he was starting to find the man's more _annoying_ side far more endearing. He couldn't believe how much Aizen had to hold back. He himself had a hard enough time with his own Zanpakuto... But Aizen?  
  
Aizen had that _monstrosity_ to hold in.  
  
The reiatsu he was currently feeling, what he and near everyone else assumed was due to an inability to control, was in truth Aizen _suppressing_ his power. His _ability_ with Kido showed _perfect _control. Down to the last drop, not a single one was wasted, not a single one out of place.  
  
And _this level of suppression_ **was** the best he could manage.  
  
And now... Now, he knew why. He understood even, why the man _insisted_ on seeing the humour in _everything_. Because if he didn't, because if he for one single moment lost even a drop of control and left _that_ _loose... _He would likely become the very calamity that threatened the world he'd given _everything_ up for.  
  
He couldn't imagine the kind of burden he was going through.  
  
But Aizen had evidently known, oh he'd known, had planned for it even... '"_My worst case scenario always was killing another captain,"' _Had planned for every scenario... Had made sure he _was capable and willing to do anything, no matter how bad...   
  
All for the greater good. All for the sake of the world.  
  
He was a true_ shinigami.  
  
And he'd stood in his way.  
  
Proved even, that he was right to worry. He was right to plan for the inevitability. Plan for the fact that the very people he wanted to save would likely stand in his way.  
  
And he'd been one of them. If not the very man that had started it. And to top it all of.  
  
He'd saved his and near every one of those under his charge's life...  
  
Even after trying to get him imprisoned. Even after working with the one man who, it seemed, was responsible for possibly every worst case scenario that existed. He, even if Aizen didn't look remotely injured anymore, felt _miserable_ at the fact he'd had the _nerve_ to knock him out _after_he'd been mortally wounded. Miserable at the fact that even his own worries were insignificant because the man _had planned for that _**_as well_.**  
  
His own worries on the other hands... They didn't involve himself. No, they involved everyone.  
  
  
Their very realm.  
  
And he'd, even after every mercy thrown his way, tried to attack him.  
  
He doubted the man would understand the truth of the matter.  
  
His hand shook minutely at the thought, as he remembered the moment his _Zanpakuto _had had enough of the insults. Had had enough of Aizen.  
  
Even worse, it had taken Aizen losing his own control to really do it. To really make him see the truth for what it was.  
  
To see how close he'd courted death. To see how death had laughed him off. For Aizen, quite likely, could've, and if they'd stood in his way, would've killed_ near everyone in Soul Society_ if he'd wanted to.  
  
It was, quite honestly, a miracle for them all that the man truly _cared_. That he, even after everything he'd gone through, hadn't truly lost hope.  
  
He could count on one hand-_The man quietly sighed _-The number of captains who would've held on like he did...  
  
But, even then...  
  
D_amn_ if he wasn't an asshole about it-  
  
"Why are you so quiet?" Aizen's question quickly brought him out of his stupor.  
  
"Just... Thinking," He remarked lamely. Entirely caught off guard as he realised the man, and his own body automatically copying, had stopped in the middle of the... Hall?  
  
Aizen however, to his surprise, scrunched his face.  
  
"Not thinking of more bloody questions are you?" He questioned, quickly crossing his arms in the process.  
  
It truly felt as if a metaphorical arrow had stabbed him with the way he winced at the words.  
  
Shunsui quickly raised his hand, waving it the slightest. "No, not about that... I can't wrap-"  
  
"Because you only have one hand, go on," The man _immediately _deadpanned.  
  
Shunsui twitched.  
  
"-my _head_ around how a Ryoka is going to help me," He stated, flourishing his other arm.  
  
"You know one of the wolves blew up the actual hand?"  
  
Shunsui twitched _again_. "I am aware..."  
  
"Why do you think I got you Groban's hand as a replacement?" The man flashed him a smile.  
  
Shunsui's eyes however widened at the words.  
  
"That girl isn't going to stick a freaking hollow's hand to me is she!?" He couldn't help the slip.  
  
He couldn't help all of the _slips.  
  
_Aizen, on seeing his distress, chuckled before he suddenly turned on his feet and started walking again. __  
  
"What did I say about more questions?"  
  
He was very _grateful_ for the sudden interruption as two ginger Ryoka's, one dressed in Shinigami robes for some reason, quickly appeared before them. Kuchiki Rukia behind them, trepidation, likely at the fact the Commander was here, shown on her face.  
  
Shunsui blinked as he turned his gaze back to the orange haired girl... The rather... Airheaded expression on her face sending warnings all across his brain...  
  
And she was going to be performing some kind of surgery on him?  
  
Shunsui shuddered for the 15th time that day as he felt an ominous chill fill the air.  
  
He was so screwed...  
  
"Aizen!" Shunsui felt a sweatdrop go down his face at the Ryoka's sudden yell. The false shinigami striding towards them, an angered expression on their face.  
  
_This ginger's going to destroy the world..._ Shunsui couldn't help the thought, watching the _stupid_ shinigami's attempt at _Pandora's box_.  
  
"Where's Yoruichi?" The _kid_ suddenly called out, his hand hovering near his Zanpakuto. The gleam in his eye challenging.  
  
Shunsui just knew it.  
  
Aizen was going to lose control again.  
  
He'd dealt with kids like this before.  
  
The brat was probably going to turn this into a rescue mission... He'd seen it happen enough times.  
  
Then Aizen snorted, his laughter echoed out as it shattered Shunsui's delusions.  
  
_Huh?_ Shunsui blinked in bemusement...  
  
He was willing to gut Kenpachi like a fish! So why...  
  
And then the third nail dropped as Kuchiki Rukia promptly kicked the boy from behind and sent him rocketing towards them.  
  
"You idiot! I told you to let me do the talking!"  
  
Aizen simply held a hand out, catching the kid with ease, shaking his head whimsically as he put him back up.  
  
"Relax, Yoruichi's fine," The three words, surprisingly enough, earned a relieved sigh out of the kid...  
  
_He believed him? _The thought only seemed to confuse him more...  
  
"Sorry for the delay," Two more haggard voices suddenly joined the fray. Unohana's lieutenant and her fourth seat quickly showing themselves.  
  
"Apologies Captain-Commander!" Rukia suddenly stated in alarm as she quickly stiffened and straitened. "I had not seen you there!" She added on rapidly.  
  
...  
  
Yamamoto did not,_ remotely_, care.  
  
His head automatically tilted the slightest as he turned to study the supposed _rejector._  
  
An interesting idea to be sure... It was rather lucky for them he supposed... They'd most certainly would've never had the chance to learn of it without his help...  
  
Would've been a _pity to miss out on such a piece.._.  
  
...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a question for everyone:
> 
> How does a reality warper legitimise a time-traveler?


	26. Training Montage 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Notes: This is set during Ch11's coma.

_He was fucking with me._  
  
"This is surprisingly good..." I remarked, quickly grabbing another out of the _bag_.  
  
Aizen had a smug look on his face before he turned back towards Grimmjow's scene.  
  
Particularly the one involving the fifth espada putting him on the bus.  
  
I quietly gulped down the savoury treat, the _heavenly_ taste almost unreal, before I picked up another _popcorn kerne_l. I was currently relaxed against the sofa, Aizen settled for standing in front of the _huge_ screen made of Reiatsu/Complete-Hypnosis. I stopped caring a while ago.  
  
_He was fucking with me._  
  
"The ratio is _perfect_... How do you even know about this? How long have you known about this!?"  
  
_He had to be. He had stashes of Popcorn hidden in a pocket dimension._  
  
"Since Kenpachi Zaraki's promotion," The man deadpanned. "I sent Nel to the Human world once," He added on passively, his attention taken up with the screen, before to my surprise, the man quickly settled down on a _conjured_ chair, _another bag appearing out of thin air and into his hands,_as he watched Kenpachi interlude.  
  
He didn't create this Popcorn by the way.  
  
He. Had. Stashes. Of. It.  
  
_He had to be fucking with me!_  
  
There was a literal _mountain_ of popcorn hidden inside Aizen's portable dimension.  
  
"She found it along the way?" I questioned numbly as I savoured the taste.  
  
Aizen blinked once, his expression somewhat amused.  
  
_"I specifically sent her on a task to find-"_  
  
"Prove it," I deadpanned, even as I took another handful of the damn things.  
  
Aizen promptly brought up another memory and changed the tv channel. I watched on impassively, my expression dead to the world, my hands mechanically going through another bag, as Aizen Sosuke, sent Nel The First Third Espada on a mission to find the _perfect_ batch of mixed popcorn.  
  
_What is my life right now..? _The thought earned a _snort_ from the man.  
  
"Should've sent Ulquiorra," I reacted immediately.  
  
Aizen, just as he has for the past who knows how long, twitched at the name. I _still_ couldn't believe how salty the man was. "Get over it," I rolled my eyes. "So what if you didn't know he'd found another stage-"  
  
_"That changes everything!" _Aizen promptly snapped, his bag of popcorn crushing in his hand. _"That brings up an entirely different branch to consider! **He should've told me!" **_Aizen's voice, to my surprise, took on a vehemence I'd never thought to see... The man promptly blinked once as he took in my expression.  
  
I almost couldn't hold back the snort the moment I saw a vein appear on his forehead.  
  
"I _am _a scientist... You know?" The man sniffed. "I would much rather have _all _the information I could get,"  
  
I nodded, my mind quickly changing the scene towards what I knew Aizen was _dying_ to see.  
  
"Besides, he wasn't supposed to kill_ Kurosaki Ichigo_," The man added on quietly, his attention quickly taken up, along with his interest, by the sight of the new pages on screen.  
  
He'd _been shocked_ the first time he'd seen Ulquiorra put a hole in Ichigo, stating that if it hadn't been for the lucky break of that Hollow manifesting, _another _thing Aizen hadn't known was possible, his plans could've very likely failed then and there.  
  
Still, even now, one thing didn't add up.  
  
"_What was the big deal anyway? Wasn't it just a boost in power?" Ulquiorra's_ _regeneration may have been boosted aswell I suppose.. But other than that and a boost in speed and what not... I really can't see why it mattered..._  
  
"His transformation has more meaning then that... What he called a second stage release was in fact his _collective _of souls evolving_."_  
  
"I have no idea what that means..."  
  
Aizen sighed, paused on his reading and turned towards me.  
  
"You understand that certain hollows, the Espada for example, are made up of thousands of souls?"  
  
I nodded. A serious look on my face while Aizen didn't skip beat as he continued.  
  
"You understand how a Menos evolves yes?"  
  
I nodded.  
  
"Well, it's similar to that but rather than a single _hollow _reaping the benefits of power, all of _them _do. Ulquiorra, in as simple terms as I could manage." He gave me a pointed look. "His collective of souls, once long thought to be lost due to his own evolution, _caught up with him."_  
  
My eyes widened the slightest at the words.  
  
"He'd somehow managed to find and convince most if not all of the souls within him to... _Cooperate, _I don't even think he himself knew what he was doing... but, in essence, he was one step away from, _not ascending_, at least..." Aizen's face, for the first time since I've been here, had _clear dread_ shown on his face. "Not like the kind I sought... No, perhaps its simpler to call it the Hollows _way_... But the fact it was possible..._" _The man remarked, a_ grim _look on his face-  
  
"But... I mean he got his ass kicked anyway... So?"I deadpanned.  
  
Aizen blinked once before, an irritated look promptly replacing his expression, he turned back towards the screen in front of him and settled for ignoring me.  
  
_Wonder how long this ones gonna last?_  
  
I promptly took another handful of Aizen-grade popcorn.  
  
_I still think he's fucking with me._  
  
...


	27. Arc 2 Ch4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every Arc will have a game/world-changing chapter. Arc 1 was ch5-6. This is the second arc's.

...  
  
_Turn here,_ Aizen calmly stated into my head. We'd been walking for a few minutes. Aizen hadn't been kidding when he'd told it was nearby.  
  
I turned on my feet accordingly, my action quickly freezing the group surrounding me, the two in the front taking up affronted looks.  
  
I obviously snort-  
  
_I am getting sidetracked again aren't I?_  
  
_Oh? You noticed. Great._  
  
I held in the sigh at the answer and simply focused on the bland wall in front of me- I blinked at the sight of the... Blue haze? That suddenly appeared in the _centre _of the wall. Something, I assumed was unnoticeable to everyone else given the stares I was receiving.  
  
_Thankfully,_ they all seemed to have realised that the best way to avoid a _guaranteed_ problem from me?  
  
Was to _basically _ignore me-  
  
_Aizen_ promptly sent a jolt across my arm, bringing me out of my stupor as I quickly did my my role in all this.  
  
And Fyi, I was _only told my role._  
  
Which means I have no idea what the hells supposed to happen.  
  
Now you may be asking why I would even agree to such a thing in the first place?  
  
With Aizen Sosuke no less?  
  
Simple.  
  
My role in all this was to use a freaking _Naruto_ juts-  
  
Aizen, of course cut me off, by sending the biggest jolt of energy so far across my arms, for the first time earning a wince from me...  
  
_Really hope no one saw that..._  
  
_... You will never **repeat **such a thing-_  
  
_Yeah... You really shouldn't have told me this was one of your secret inventions. _  
  
I quickly grinned and brought my hands together  
  
_You cannot be serious-_  
  
And promptly did _exactly _what Aizen had asked of me.  
  
Only I _figured _I might as well do it _**slow**_** enough to let everyone** get a good view.  
  
And by that, I mean _genuine _though different, hand signs,** followed unnecessarily** by a-  
  
"Kai!"  
  
Aizen, without skipping a beat, _electrocuted_ me ala reiatsu. Thankfully, the sheer _reiatsu pain _from using an _untested_ method at _temporarily _shredding space was admittedly more painful. Meaning I barely felt _that_.  
  
I watched, my expression somewhat surprised as the wall started to break apart from the middle, slowly edging it out in a circle towards the corners before taking the shape of a larger door infested by some kind of _shadow?_ Though it quickly started to dissipate. Aizen _seriously_ had some rather twisted ideas for pass-times... And he called my hate of manga dis-  
  
_If you ever introduce that _garbage_ into this or any other realm!-_  
  
Orihime promptly started clapping her hands, a delighted expression on her face at the sight.  
  
"See! They even read it here Kurosaki-kun!" The girl remarked as she turned towards the irritated ginger. Her eyes shining with excitement-  
  
_Oh my god Orihime's a fan of Naruto!_  
  
_Dont..._ Aizen, _I think_, is currently trying to beg-  
  
_I can end you with a thought!_  
  
Now, I'll be completely honest, I feel like I should take that as a warning but...  
  
"Yeah," I started, my head nodding as it grabbed everyone's attention. "One of _your friends_introduced me to them when..." I frowned minutely before sighing, earning a frown from _Ichigo, _"One of your friends told me it was crucial for _Mangaka's_ to survive... Something about mass revolts from the human world otherwise?" I questioned with a finger to my chin, even in the middle of the _suffocating_ reiatsu the other captains were accidentally letting loose. Well, not suffocating to me per say. Though I was surprised Ichigo and orihime were holding their own... Hell they barely noticed it. "Regardless," I shrugged, "It turned out that _some_ of the ideas in those stories were... _Well, _possible to replicate." I finished, a grin on my face as I watched _almost _everyone's expressions practically light up with interest.  
  
_Shunsui _included.  
  
"It was _Keigo_ wasn't it?" Ichigo suddenly twitched as he questioned ignoring my second point entirely.  
  
I shrugged and promptly turned towards the Captain-commander, my thumb pointing towards the room. "Safe room, Quincy's can't hear us in here." My words earning a gasp from _someone_though I failed to catch who.  
  
_By the way Aizen? How long have you known about the Quincy's? _The thought came, _almost_, randomly though it seemed to catch Aizens interest  
  
_Why the interest?_ He questioned in return.  
  
I mentally shrugged before quickly grabbing a hold of the door handle.  
  
"The seals on _this_ prevented any and everything from entering," I explained, word for word, what Aizen had told me to say. "Given they were still there, I am presuming my past self hadn't found it in this _timeline_,"  
  
"Do you not know who set this room up?" Yamamoto's voice had an edge to it as he questioned me.  
  
"I do," I remarked, my expression twisting the slightest. "Fortunately for us, he never told any of his kin about this. This was his secret base so to speak and... Well, I am pretty sure he's dead." I _lied_ as I walked through one of Aizen's many _**personal chambers**_-  
  
_What the **fu-!**?_ Aizen's sudden voice clamped shut, though it had already earned _another_ flinch from me, as my eyes automatically widened at the fact Aizen Sosuke had practically _sworn._  
  
I sped up the moment my brain processed that yes, I did in fact just hear him swear, or almost at any rate. As I walked further in my gaze swept around before freezing, my eyes widening the moment they landed on a chair _with a body_ ontop facing away from me. The stranger's _unique_appearance however was a quick giveaway on who it was. The blonde hair, and white uniform a dead ringer for none other then Gremm-  
  
My body _froze_ again the moment my eyes landed on Gremmy's face.  
  
Aizen, and likely everyone else, were probably saying something... But I just couldn't hear them.  
  
Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Yamamoto had spoken up, I could certainly feel the sudden flare of the man's reiatsu.  
  
He was rather unsettled.  
  
_"You weren't kidding." _Ichigo quipped, rather quietly from my side though the horror on his face was plain to see.  
  
And as I turned my gaze to everyone else, taking in their admittedly unsettled, expressions, I realised with even more daunting horror that none of them understood the true significance of what had happened.  
  
Aizen knew. Because the moment I'd seen Gremmy's current face... _All _of my memories of the _character_ suddenly flashed into my brain. As if confirming it as my reality, and Aizen had seen them all. And likely had a better understanding of the situation, given _he was speechless._  
  
I turned back and gazed at Gremmy, eyeing the scar under his neck with trepidation... My gaze trailing up and wincing.  
  
I _shuddered_ at the mere thought of what it meant...  
  
Aizen and I, though admittedly mostly him, had, given what we'd seen of _Yhwach_ come to the conclusion that his power must've _gone_ somewhere else following what the _dead_ being before us had done. _Attached _itself elsewhere, otherwise the _emperor_ wouldn't have needed a host to survive. Though the silverlining being that it was also without a true purpose as no mind but it's owner could truly function with such unstable power.  
  
I'd disagreed of course, vouching for Haschwalt though Aizen would then simply sigh, a tired expression appearing on his face as he asked if I was ignoring his _lectures _on purpose or not....  
  
Still, the main fact was while it was unstable... It wasn't exactly a threat as it had no true drive to _do anything_...  
  
Of course, Aizen had also told me of a nightmare scenario.  
  
One that involved the fact Huaco Mundo's shift may or may not have _damaged_ the space-time continuum enough to allow a _leak _into this universe... Though it wouldn't last long per say, apparently different universes randomly leaking into each is a _very bad _thing...  
  
Of course, given what I am seeing right now?  
  
I am _pretty sure_ this counts as a _super-nightmare _scenario. Because I am fairly certain we've lost the silverlining.  
  
I'd... _somehow _screwed the world enough... To catch _his_ attention...  
  
For every memory I got only referenced one character...  
  
Worse yet, a _specific_ version of him.  
  
I'd given a being entirely created and somehow held together by _a crap_ ton of unstable energy, the _worst_ potential influencer in the _multi-verse._  
  
I'd caught the Clown Prince of Crime's attention... _At his most powerful state..._  
  
For there was only one that had the... _Power_ to reach this world in any shape or form.  
  
Emperor Joker.  
  
And as if he heard me, everyone promptly jumped back a few spaces, three Zanpakuto's flashing out as Gremmy's corpse suddenly _moved,_ A gleam in it's eyes appearing as the twisted red smile seemed to widen.  
  
"_Always finish with a punchline..." _Gremmy's voice had been modified... Changed to sound like-  
  
"Here, let me show you-"The Joker's voice remarked, as Gremmy's mouth widened, the body mimicking a character inhaling deeply. **_"Forget The Rails!-" _**Gremmy, for whatever reason took a pause as he eyed my expression... Almost like he was searching for something?  
  
**_"-I Can't Find The Train!" _**He cackled regardless, his infamous laughter immediately following.  
  
And honestly? I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. So naturally, given I currently had his attention, I took my sword out of its sheath and promptly released my shikai and given the immediate visage of anger from the Clown Prince of Crime ala Gremmy, I am assuming he didn't like that.  
  
_Can you use your powers to stop him from spying on us?_  
  
_I can **lock** him out of his _stolen_ powers altogether._ Aizen deadpanned into my head.  
  
..._I am not even going to question how-_  
  
_I read the entire story. The memories were **very** detailed when it came to his weakness,_ Aizen answered, _indifferently_.  
  
Knowing that Aizen had it under control, and wasn't that a scary thought, just how competent was he? I looked Gremmy/Joker in the eye and promptly flipped him off as I felt more reiatsu pour out of me. The puppet itself quickly twitching before bonelessly falling into the floor. The gleam in it's eye fading as the shocked expression faded. I gave it a brief look over before shrugging and took in everyone's gobsmacked expressions. Though Yamamoto merely raised his eyebrow at me.  
  
"Has he been dealt with _this_ time?"  
  
I waited a couple beats before shrugging, earning another sigh from the old man.  
  
"Someone take this to Unohana-Taichou... Or better yet, the Twelveth Division!" I quickly called out, watching as an _unknown_ wide-eyed shinigami quickly appeared beside the body. Finding the room empty enough everywhere else, finally fitting it's supposed _safe_ status, I nodded my head once, a smile appearing on my face and promptly took a seat in the armchair in the middle. I could practically feel Aizen banging his head against a wall. And while I didn't react to that, I did blink at the new expressions everyone else started sending me...  
  
The majority of which was disbelief.  
  
"What?" I questioned somewhat bemused.  
  
Though honestly? I don't believe for a second that's the _last_ time I am going to see _him_... I just really hope the next time doesn't involve Huya's return as well_..._  
  
But seriously... _Just what is my life right now?_  
  
...  
  
Elsewhere, in a world filled with nothing but shadows, a malformed being flew through, singleminded determination filling his mind, and a strange_ voice _echoing through his head. Words it barely could make sense off, though every now and then it would receive a kind _intuitive_ feeling with them... A guide of sorts. And while not much... At the very least it gave it _something_ to d_o. Something to follow._  
  
_Wo-ow! Wasn't that a close one!? And here I was just starting to enjoy that power... Well no need to dwell on lost toys... I suppose you'll have to do for now,_  
  
The creature, did as it always did when the voice screeched, it's cackling tone never missing in that _strange_ language. It simply ignored it and went on and went on ahead, trying to find... _The Punch Line, _one of the few words it seemed to understand, the voice seemed so fond of mentioning_.  
  
Take a left here!_  
  
The malformed creature's, once the Emperor _and_ Quartermaster of the Quincy's, now a singular _unstable_ body of cosmic power _following the peak of insanity itself, _eyes lit up with understanding! A prideful swell in it's body!  
  
Before it promptly took a_ right._  
  
...


	28. Training Montage 2

...

Aizen eyed the other warily, the boy had been far too _quiet_ for too long. He was sat relaxed on the conjured armchair, an aloof expression on his face as he took the time_ to think_ before speaking, before wilfully jumping to the _very_ first idea in his head.  
  
Up until that question, the boy had been throwing one after another regarding his role in his plan.  
  
When he'd asked him for his _thoughts _(Whether he'd actually listen or not) on the plan overall, he'd gone quiet.  
  
Aizen minutely ignored his floating Zanpakuto, the swirling reiatsu surrounding it slowing down by the second as it slowly flittered out. He barely even noticed the seat he'd taken, almost subconsciously as he _waited. _His mind already reprocessing the boy's place in everything at-  
  
The boy blinked once before straightening, an amused smile appearing on his face.  
  
Aizen held in the sigh, though he couldn't help the sudden twitch in his expression-  
  
"So, if I got this right, the first step is _training_ the shinigami up?"  
  
Aizen resisted the urge to throttle the idiot in front of him.  
  
"That is, quite literally, the last on the list of priorities," Aizen remarked through grit teeth for the 81st time. "_It's not even part of the plan!"_  
  
Yet, to his own surprise, the boy simply blinked once before relaxing back against the seat-  
  
"You _still_ plan on going Darth Vader on everyone?" And before he could ask _what_ on earth that meant, the boy quickly sent in the _relevant_ information through his link, his mind quickly processing it entirely. It was a rather efficient method for transporting information, if he was honest. Perhaps he ought to create such a connection once everything's been _fixed._  
  
He routinely went over what he'd gathered... A prodigious child, labelled _The Chosen One,_ joins the Soul Society equivalent of the fictional world slowly developing his powers, coming across the various obstacles in his path. Then at what Aizen assumed was the end, joins the _hollow _equivalent- Aizen suppressed the sudden swirl of emotions as his mind reached the moment the _chosen one_, meant to be his reflection, _kneeled before another.  
  
"_An odd reference to label me," He eventually stated, and while certainly offended, he was somewhat curious what the boy was trying to say. While most of it could be applied to him, the ending... "I am _sure_ there must be better references to make, ones without _fate_ intervening-" He found himself interrupted by the sudden flash of reiatsu. From his side, the screen from earlier, having long disappeared suddenly burst out of existence, catching him off-guard for a moment. He minutely turned towards it, his eyes widening at the images before him, his gut twisting as they were firmly imprinted into his mind.  
  
The pale face practically radiating with sorrow, the limbless body floating with no support, and to top it all off, the crystal surrounding, encasing the most powerful being in existence in a glorified cell.  
  
"Still want to be the soul king?" The boy's voice echoed out, though Aizen found his gaze locked on the so called thread that held their world.  
  
"Darth Vader?" Aizen ignored the question as he gave his own, his gaze however didn't budge.  
  
The boy, instead of answering, further unnerving him, simply created two more screens, showing surprising ease, given he'd had a harder time earlier.  
  
Aizen's gaze focused on the right one first, it's visuals quickly coming on as it showed off another of the boy's memories. A scene, showcasing his so called symbol as it fought, presumably the final battle of the fictional story, against his old mentor. _Yamamoto?_ The shinigami considered, his brow furrowed.  
  
He eyed the coming climax of the story, the final attack before the chosen one _fullfills_ his so called destiny of balancing the worlds forces-  
  
Aizen blinked once, the screen closing with a pop, having shown the chosen one's fall. And before he could even turn, his eyes widened at the thought of failing due to _pride_, the boy sent in another burst of information. Showcasing Darth Vader's future...  
  
Showing the man's rise to a position of power at the cost of his own abilities... Of his _self._  
  
The boy having decided he'd had enough time to process it all, nonchalantly started the second screen, Aizen's attention immediately snapping towards it as he _watched_ himself appear- He stiffened at the sight of his appearance. His hand minutely twitching as a grin threatened to cut his face as he eyed his _ascended_ form. As he, for once, didn't complain of the lack of information shown, at the skipped details. Taking in the form in it's entirety, whatever sparse information regarding it coming out. For once simply ignoring every other person beside him.  
  
And yet... His mind quickly turned numb as it finally finished processing the boy's intended message and lo and behold he did not disappoint, as at that very moment Urahara Kisuke appeared in the screen before him_._  
  
"I lose?" His voice held no venom, no curiosities as his mind seemed to freeze, his gaze locked onto the screen before him. And though he didn't answer, the boy's silence told him _everything. _  
  
Funnily enough, he found himself thinking, _It wasn't so odd a reference after all..._  
  
A sigh quickly drew his attention as his gaze ripped away from the screen, eyeing the _amused_boy before him.  
  
"You know, you _basically_ end up like the soul king even after losing to _Kisuke_,"  
  
Aizen twitched instinctively at the confirmation.  
  
"I mean you're practically immortal, so they can't execute you for your crimes, instead-" The boy didn't bother finishing as he quickly opened up another screen, one that filled Aizen with dread at the picture it showed. The picture of him sealed off his reiatsu, _missing his Zanpakuto _and imprisoned in the Muken.  
  
"This is what you intend to do to Yhwach?" He questioned as his mind connected the the two points, a dangerous gleam appearing in his eye. One that turned the amused expression to a wary one in a matter of seconds.  
  
Then the boy blinked, "To be fair, it's _basically_ his goal aswell," A Cheshire-like grin appeared on the boy's face. "How's it feel to be similar to an axe-crazy sadist?"  
  
"..." He simply turned his attention back towards the screen and ignored him, his reiatsu quickly reopening all the new pieces of memories. Even irritated as he was, he still savoured the affronted look on the boy's face.  
  
"Now that's just cheating!"  
  
"Don't care," Aizen deadpanned as he rewatched every piece of memory play over, his plans shifting rapidly in the process while the other frantically, not to mention in vain, attempted to _shut everything down_.  
  
...


	29. Arc 2 Ch5

...  
  
I wasn't entirely sure what to think of the fact I'd had a run in with the Clown Prince of Crime... My hand minutely shook as I tried to stop it, somewhat in vai- My thoughts froze the moment I felt reiatsu suddenly encompass said hand, stopping it's shaking in the process.  
  
_Thanks!_  
  
Aizen of course said nothing.  
  
Still, the fact was... Joker being real, worse, showing up in this world? That was a lot to take in... Aizen wasn't all too worried, given he'd lost his powers, but... I still couldn't help the feeling that _it _didn't matter if he'd lost _those _powers... He was in a world omnipotent power was likely even closer compared to his own.  
  
I _knew_ he'd come back.  
  
Characters like him don't make a one off appearance- _Hey Aizen how do you cope with fact you're a manga character? _I suddenly questioned earning a minor shock to my reiatsu covered hand.  
  
_It does not change anything._  
  
I blinked at the answer before realising that yes... _It didn't matter. _With that lovely breakthrough, I turned my focus back towards the two gingers in the room. Orihime was on the ground, resting, though her gaze was sharper then I'd ever seen it. She was watching _herself_ use her ability.  
  
Funnily enough, this wasn't one of my memories. It was in fact Aizen's... _Abridgement_ of it, which thanks to his Shikai ability meant he could effectively _create_ and showcase any 'future' he wants...  
  
He's like a budget Huya right now-  
  
I held in the urge to spit the drink out as Aizen used thunderstrike.  
  
It was super effective.  
  
I turned my attention back towards the girl, watching as she nodded to herself for he 80th time so far and promptly got up to try and learn her ability again. Which of course meant Shunsui was still here. Yamamoto had disappeared from the room not long after the Joker incident, intent on finding anymore hidden passages. _Which there was a lot of. Like hundreds. And Aizen's only responsible for like two thirds of them-_ Uh, right... Back to Shunsui... The man was currently trying to teach Ichigo how to talk to his Zanpakuto spirit. _His real one_ while Rukia was currently in front of me trying to practise one of the Kido spells Aizen had propped up on a _screen_.  
  
Meanwhile I was relaxing against the sofa, _waiting_ for Orihime to figure out what ever the hell she's supposed to do.  
  
It's not like I actually remembered. I showed Aizen a few scenes of her using said ability and let him take it from there.  
  
Surprisingly enough, underneath all of the _major_ signs of insanity, past his destructive tendencies and... This is taking too long.  
  
Beneath all the Aizenness that makes up Aizen, like really deep down and past all the Aizenic traits that make him such an... _Aizen_, like so far down even Gin's Shikai would have trouble reaching it-  
  
_You understand that if I truly wanted, I could use Kyoka Suigetsu to replace you-_  
  
_You can't release yourself.  
  
...Aizen? Anyway... Where I was- Am I channelling Yoda? Why am I channelling Yoda? Aizen are you watching Star Wars again!?  
  
Deal with it._  
  
... I sighed, there was no winning this argument. Now you might be wondering why... Well, _apparently _the force, like chakra, and _haki_ of all things, have some similarities between each other. Similarities that _can be replicated_, not that it was going to happen anytime soon. To my own disappointment, Aizen had said it would likely take centuries before anyone ever figured out how to connect the pieces, not that it's stopped him from working on it... And the fact he'd somehow already _stumbled_ on it even before I'd shown up here?  
  
I briefly shivered, no doubt due to Aizen. Even my reiatsu, as high as it was, had limits... three simultaneous screens with another _larger_ one in the inner world... All showcasing entirely different things.  
  
Needles to say, I could barely do anymore than sit still.  
  
"Aizen-taichou," Rukia's voice suddenly broke me out of my stupor as I turned towards her, raising a single eyebrow as I eyed her hand, a smile slowly growing on my face as I watched Ichigo pale.  
  
Rukia's hand was outstretched towards me, a white glow emanating out of it.  
  
"_Tanma Otoshi!"_ Rukia cried out as the reiatsu imploded out of her hand showering the air_ and me_ with a white glow. I found myself instinctively covering a single eye at the sudden brightness, completely ignoring though still feeling the attempted effects.  
  
I, of course had Aizen show everyone the original _canon_ scene, where Shinji used it on Ichigo... And well, the fact it showed Ichigo completely blacking out was likely the _only_ reason Rukia had agreed to learn it.  
  
Ichigo rubbed the back of his head, a worried expression on his face as he lost his focus from his own lesson, and turned towards me, a betrayed look replacing the previous.  
  
"She insisted," I shrugged, "Plus I figured the next time _Shunsui and Pals-"_ Rukia held in the urge to snort, Orihime and Ichigo failed. Shunsui twitched, though he didn't rise to the bait. "Decide to have another crack at politics, she can knock em all out and save _everyone-"  
  
"I think he get's it, Aizen-taichou," _Shunsui remarked with a strained smile.  
  
I blinked before flashing him a grin and turned towards Ichigo. _"Do you get it Ichigo?" _I questioned.  
  
Ichigo seemed to stare between me and the other captain for a second before grinning, while Rukia sighed beside me. "No I think I'll take the _full_ explanation,"  
  
_I obliged._  
  
Shunsui wasn't happy, though from the way his expression seemed to settle on Rukia's own laughter, I don't think he was as angry as he was letting on. If anything _he _looked_ content._..  
  
It didn't take long before we fell back into the earlier mood. Judging from the way Orihime's resolve seemed to harden at the fact Rukia had completed her job first, I figured it wouldn't be long before she figured out... _Whatever Aizen was trying to teach her._ Once Shunsui's arm was healed, I figured Yamamoto was likely to have me go back straight to my captains duties...  
  
At least until we invaded Huaco Mundo with a pseudo-nazi, a teenage boxer and two gingers.  
  
Yeah, I don't like our odds either.  
  
...

I somehow managed to keep a passive expression on my face, even as _Shunsui_ _screamed_ from the pain, though the man certainly _tried_ to compose himself, the sweat pouring down his face not doing him any favours as he _grimaced_ further, the pain no doubt increasing.  
  
Orihime herself had a _terrified_ look on hers, _I think._  
  
She'd long since closed her eyes, at Shunsui's behest. Her powers surrounding the captain's hand. I turned my gaze minutely towards the hand, eyeing the way the Orihime's power... For whatever reason-  
  
_Aizen..._  
  
...  
  
I barely held in the urge to rub the bridge of my nose.  
  
Shunsui let out another gasp of pain as his hand _slowly_ started regaining it's fingers. The man's bloodshot eyes barely staying open-  
  
"I guess you have to _really_ want it," _Rukia. I repeat **Rukia, **_remarked without a second look towards the man as she focused her attention back towards me her eyes closed in concentration as she _agreed_ to give the lvl 90 spells, under my supposed great guidance, a go.  
  
_Aizen_ naturally wanted to start off with the _Nuke_, but I managed to whittle it own to a _block-buster _at best. Atleast until, Orihime having finally figured out what the screens meant suddenly sprang towards me instead of the captain waiting on her to heal him, rather patiently aswell, Ichigo was officially a project I no longer had any intention of dealing with.  
  
At which point I simply pointed over towards the irritated man, for whatever reason earning a _pout, and she summoned her... I really should start paying attention..._  
  
Honestly, I really should've stopped and asked when reject field came out red_. _  
  
Needless to say, regrowing my hands is _not _a experience I had any intention of going through.  
  
As for _Aizen-  
  
Yes?_ The man's response was immediate, a taunting tone to it, mixed with amusement.  
  
I sighed and turned around, my plan already filtering into Aizen's mind-  
  
Ok hang on a second, we can talk about-  
  
_Nope._  
  
I promptly drew my sword- _Wait_\- And stabbed it into the ground just before Rukia, earning a gasp ou of somewhere. Shunsui's eyes widening even with the pain coursing through him as a _horrified_ expression, for a moment, seemed to flash through his face. Though the alarm quickly died down the moment I promptly crouched down, my eyes level with hilt of the blade.  
  
_"We've talked about this," _I deadpanned to my Zanpakuto.  
  
_I can't believe you went through with it...  
  
Don't push me.  
  
How exactly can you make this any- _Aizen's words froze the moment he got a _summary_ of what I had planned. _-...Fine, tell the idiots to stop what they're doing._  
  
I promptly sighed, picked my sword and grinned at my audience.  
  
"Apologies for that... My Zanpakuto can be a little... _Vindictive_," I shrugged, eyeing no one in particular -_Shunsui_\- before quickly sheathing the blade.  
  
_"You don't- _Gyahh!" Shunsui _suddenly_ cried out at the-  
  
_You're an asshole._ I thought on reflex as I suddenly had the urge to snort out loud, the cloud quickly lifting from me as the colours righted themselves, Shunsui's screams suddenly dying out as the pain-filled expression slowly turned to a wary one, his eyes locked onto his still regenerating hand, before turning into a surprised one.  
  
"Is... Is _Captain-san _alright? Has it finished..?" The girl asked though she didn't wait for an answer as she slowly opened her eyes, a relieved sigh coming out as her ability _finally_ resembled the ones she'd seen thanks to the other captain.  
  
Shunsui eyed me warily, though his gaze slowly lowered onto the Zanpakuto before turning back up, a resigned expression appearing on his face. "Vindictive huh?"  
  
I blinked, rubbing the back of my head. "I guess, Kyo can be a bit of a drama queen as well, though I really should've _noticed_ something was off when I could barely move..." I'd somehow managed to ignore three consecutively more painful shocks for each word.  
  
Shunsui promptly snapped his gaze towards his arm, his disbelieving expression returning in full force as he moved his fingers.  
  
"Feel's like you never lost _anything_ doesn't it?" I threw a shot in the dark.  
  
Shunsui blinked at the question, his gaze slowly returning to me as a frown filled his face._"No, not really. I can see that it's my own hand... but It doesn't feel like it's mine, more of the opposite real- Oh." _His mouth seemed to open the slightest as he stared at me, a unrecognisable expression on his face, though it wasn't hostile.  
  
I blinked at the words. _Aizen what'd I do?  
  
... Would it kill you not to juggle my future for even a single moment?  
  
I don' know. Probably? You going to tell me what's goin- Oh, I done goofed it._  
  
_... Fantastic observation._  
  
_Thanks._  
  
I can literally hear the head bangs.  
  
_Like, just have some popcorn and chill the-_  
  
And... _paralysed._ For like three seconds. Aizen might be the one behind it but that does not matter for I am also an Aizen-  
  
_Goddamit Aiden!-_  
  
What_ did you just call me?_ Aizen's voice was deceptively quiet, quieter then I've ever heard him in fact.  
  
_...Chair-sam-_  
  
...

...  
  
The inevitable shock came right on time.  
  
Only unlike my own expectation's, as well as Aizen's for that matter, it _didn't_ come from him.  
  
I blinked, a bemused expression showing on my face as Ichigo and Rukia tensed. Beside the two orange-haired humans, Shunsui quickly snapped to his feet, mild shock appearing on his face as he locked gazes with me.  
  
No, the shock came from the _two_ captain-class, in more ways than one, reiatsu's that suddenly _filled_ the very air-  
  
"That's... Komamura-Taicho and..." Shunsui's eyes widened further- "Kaname-Taicho!?"  
  
I blinked again, one hand going through my hair as I sighed. "Kuchiki-san, if you could escort your friends to-" And I could just about see the moment Ichigo made to object- "_Yoruichi-sans ward,"_  
  
The ginger hero didn't waste so much as a second as he turned to wait on Rukia, his curiosity overtaken by his... worry regarding Neko-gami.  
  
When the foursome disappeared (Ori, Ichi, Ru, Hanataro), I let out a tired sigh. "...No rest for the wicked, eh?" I turned towards the other captain.  
  
Shunsui, for whatever reason winced at the words. "...Not expected?" He questioned, a wary tone to his voice as he stared at me, clear worry shown over his face as he processed the situation.  
  
I gave him a humourless smile and promptly disappeared in the direction of the sudden reiatsu spike, Shunsui on my heel.  
  
...  
  
"The noble barracks..." I heard Shunsui mutter, his form just behind me as we flew across the air.  
  
"Hmm." I shrugged off the uneasy feeling the words filled... I myself didn't know much regarding the noble families but Aizen seemed to, given his current silence and the feelings running through.  
  
"Do you truly not recall anything-"  
  
"Shunsui-san," I spoke over him, turning a single eye back as I kept the other on the approaching site. "Do keep in mind, what I remembered to plan for, before my _untimely_ traversal, only encompassed Hollows, Quincys and _Zaraki Kenpachi."  
  
"Untimely-" _Shunsui focused on the particular word as he eyed me. "I thought you travelled here on your own whim?"  
  
I nodded, "I did, given the lack of candidacy, _who came here,_ was never going to be in question. But all the same, I never got to do it on my own terms, those were given to me... Besides, there was neither room nor anyone else to truly worry about at the time _either_." Given this is- _Was_ all a manga before I came here went unsaid.  
  
Shunsui mulled over the words, his frown deepening as we crossed another captains barracks, the flock of worried shinigami practically clearing the paths and air the moment their eyes landed on us.  
  
"... Just who? Who could've had the _power_ to throw the future into-"  
  
"You.. r_eally don't want to know the answer to that. There's a list_._"_ I remarked, having completely forgotten all of them myself.  
  
Still, given the sullen mood on the mans face, his earlier joy at getting his hand back having entirely evaporated, I felt somewhat bad... So I figured I'd just tell him to relax- "Honestly? if I were in your position, I'd stick to drinking,"  
  
Shunsui, however instead of making me feel bette- Instead of relaxing, winced _again._  
  
"...Perhaps after _I_'ve done my damn job... If what you say is true then..." He grit his teeth, his hands clenched tight enough to let me hear it, mid-flight. "We've let things escalate this far... All right under our own bloody noses, if not for your interference..."  
  
"...You know it's funny... Back home-" Oh my god! Shunsui stop wincing! It's not good for your face! " I would've never believed it if someone told me I'd managed to make you go _sober."_  
  
"..." Shunsui struggled to keep the sudden amusement from his face, a sight that finally let me breath a sigh of relief, a small smile almost growing on my own face-  
  
Only for the man to wince again as he realised I'd been trying to _make him feel better_.... Because that made so much sense!  
  
"For the love of the soul-king_ will you stop wincing!? It's really starting to piss me off!"_  
  
Shunsui's gobsmacked expression was, admittedly, worth the slip. Alas, because of it, I failed to see to the coming _roof._  
  
I doubt Aizen was going to be happy I may or may not have broken his glasses.  
  
I am fairly certain the frame is _not_ supposed to bend like that...  
  
...  
  
_The noble barracks were certainly far more lavish compared to the rest, though this one made the Kuchiki's look like a military base... The Tokinada's were certainly wealthy, and it showed!_  
  
At least that's what, and I am naturally presuming here given I've yet to visit the Kuchiki residence, I'd _normally _say given the once likely beautiful grounds were currently _on fire. _And honestly, I am just a little surprised Shunsui and I were the first ones here. Even more so given the fact I couldn't feel _any_ reiatsus making their way towards us...  
  
Hysterical servants ran around in a frenzy all around us as we made our way across them towards the centre of the reiatsu pressure. How half of these souls were currently standing _conscious_ amidst two captain- I blinked, my head snapping towards Shunsui as my eyes narrowed.  
  
"You said there were _two_ captain-level reiatsu's right?  
  
Shunsui blinked, his hand outstretched as it quickly caught the girl he'd accidentally crashed into, my own body automatically sidestepping her fellow uh, colleague? His face however narrowed as he processed my words and turned back ahead.  
  
"'Cos I am feeling three,"  
  
"... Funny, I can feel _four," _He remarked warily.  
  
With those words, I promptly stopped on my feet, surprising the other before simply focusing on the reiatsus currently spiking even further up.  
  
Shunsui's eyes minutely widened as I threw caution to the wind and promptly flash-stepped into the _middle _of a potential battle.  
  
When I reopened my eyes, I found myself staring at three captains I recognised, two of them swinging blade to blade as one made to overpower the other. Komamura currently had his sword held up in a guard stance as he stared down at Kaname Tosen, his baskelmet missing from his head. A worried expression on his face as he held Kaname at bay.  
  
Ichimaru was quite literally just sitting towards the side, under a _burning curtain no less__,_ on one rather out of place looking chair, his eyes taking in the chaos with barely a care, an amused smile on his face as he relaxed, in his hand was a covered-  
  
_Ichimaru Gin. Was. Openly. Drinking._  
  
Turning my head away from the confusing sight, I focused on the _stranger _just behind the wolf-captain, the green-eyed slender man with dark green hair barely going past his chin, dressed in what I could only describe as the formalist of formal wear and given it was _in_ this universe, I immediately pinned him as a villain. The smirk on his face as his eyes landed on me only made it more evident.  
  
Especially considering the first words out of his mouth at my appearance.  
  
"Sosuke-kun! if you could kindly control _your_ blind dog that would be greatly appreciated!" The man stated, an evil glint quite literally forming in his eyes as he lackadaisically laid a hand on his Zanpakuto. "Honestly! You'd think the Captains of Soul Society would focus their energy on the important matters... Like say, the _current war in **Karakura Town."**_  
  
I blinked at the words, wondering what the _hell_ he was on about...  
  
"_What war?" _Shunsui _immediately_ questioned the presumed noble.  
  
"Oho? Didn't you hear? Seems some _Hollows,"T_he man's smirk seemed to intensify as he stared directly at me, **_effectively sealing his fate_**. "Six, _Espada_ if I heard correctly, are currently fighting a **_group-" _**His eyes seemed to light up at the word, as if it seemed to blow some kind of expecation- "of Quincy!" _Wait... What?_  
  
Komamura on the other hand seemed more focused, given he hadn't so much as reacted, on his currently treasonous best friend. Said man entirely ignoring the rest as he made to get through the wolf before him. The two in their own world as they pitted their reiatsu against one another, the sparks in the air turning almost visible from the sheer raw power behind them.  
  
Ichimaru Gin on the other hand, having processed everything that was said, promptly took another gulp.  
  
"...Shunsui-san," I started, immediately earning the man's attention, though my eyes never left the strangers, my own smirk slowly growing. I... _Was fairly_ certain he was lying about the supposed war in Karakura Town... We'd have heard something by now after all.  
  
Regardless the man, for whatever reason, seemed to be on good terms with Aizen Sosuke, seemed to know some, if not all, of his plans and was evidently _not_ on good terms with said mans underlings... Wasn't like Gin was making any effort to help him.  
  
As far as I am aware those were grounds for an execution.  
  
"How do you feel about nobles dying for the _greater good_?" Said noble, needless to say, was not amused at my choice of words, a cold mask quickly filling his face as he gripped his zanpakuto, the pommel slowly sliding out as he fixed his stance the slightest.  
  
The captain in question's face, for a moment seemed to turn wary as he processed my words and took in _Kaname's_ stance on the matter, Ichimaru Gin's drink in hand and the _**wolf**_ captain in the room currently trying to defend said noble.  
  
To my own surprise a determined look promptly took over the 8th division captain's face. I watched, both amused and somewhat shocked as Shunsui, without so much as a by your leave, quickly unsheathed his zanpakuto and_ struck. _  
  
...


	30. Gin Interlude 2/A2C5 Aftermath

...

It was funny really. And by it, he meant_ everything._  
  
Everything was just so damn funny to him these days!  
  
Especially the scene before him! Good lord!  
  
He knew Tosen would one day commit treason, given he was part of their _clique_ of death. But he certainly never expected him to, and mind his Kenpachi! _He was a little intoxicated, _just skip the _damn_ middleman and try to actually murder a noble, in open daylight.  
  
In the man's _home._  
  
Oh how he wished he could read Komamura's mind at that very moment. It had been _hilariou_s to witness. The wolf captain's face as he watched Tosen randomly set off a level 80 destructive Kido on sight of the noble had been _priceless._  
  
Gods if he'd known copying Shunsui Kyoraku's lifestyle choices would make his _this... _Enjoyable, he would've joined him long ago. He could certainly see why Matsumoto seemed to love it.  
  
He barely hid the surprise on his face, his form automatically moving to the left as a piece of burning fabric fell onto the spot he'd been in, as he watched the man in question appear, with none other than the cause of his new addiction, Aizen _Iam_so_goingtomurder _Sosuke...  
  
He watched absentmindedly as Tokinada casually threatened Aizen. Though even he was surprised by the sudden news of a _war_ between Quincys and Hollows... The only fights he'd seen from those two sides had been _against_ them.  
  
With another sigh, Gin promptly took several more gulps as he watched the bane of his life _immediately_ start manipulating the situation.  
  
"Shunsui-_san_-" _What? _"- how do you feel about nobles dying for the greater good?" Gin took a single second to process the fact Aizen just openly asked another captain to kill a no-  
  
He watched stone-faced as Shunsui, without skipping a beat, promptly leapt at the noble in question, his zanpakuto out within a flash.  
  
He took an extra long gulp that time. His mind already worried he was going to run out.  
  
...  
  
He watched with mild fascination as Shunsui's attack was blocked handily, the noble showing surprising swordsmanship. With a backwards leap, the man made some distance against the captain, Shunsui following on his heel with a downward swipe with one of his blade, the other still sheathed.  
  
Gin turned his attention towards Aizen, finding the man still standing in his earlier spot, oddly quiet-  
  
His head immediately snapped towards the fight between Tokinada and Shunsui, his eyes widening the slightest as he watched Shunsui's sword for a moment _go_ through the noble without a single sign of blood. Even the captain in question seemed taken back as he took a few steps out of reach of the other.  
  
He himself swiftly turned his attention towards Aizen, though to his own bemusement the man had neither moved a muscle nor changed his expression. The serene smile on his face threatening to make him empty his stomach. His mind wondering if the man was already using his Zanpakuto... Not that he'd felt any reiatsu so much as leak out of him...  
  
And then, Aizen reacted.  
  
He ignored the chill that overcame him as the captain suddenly filled the burning manor in his reiatsu. The burst managing to even put a stop to Kaname's duel.  
  
The wolf captain immediately turning on the spot, a wide-eyed expression on his face as he eyed the source of the near-suffocating pressure.  
  
"Aizen-ta-" Komamura started before to near everyone's surprise, the illusion, even _he_ had been under without realising, lifted.  
  
The false Tokinada before Shunsui shattered into millions of pieces as the nobles true position reappeared right before Aizen. The man himself having turned a full 180 as the illusion faded.  
  
Gin idly took in Tokinada's _enraged_ face, the mans expression worsening by the second as Aizen spoke.  
  
"Sorry, _Tokinada, _but I am afraid you're going to have to warp _every_ one of my senses if you want your illusions to succeed,"  
  
Gin didn't waste a minute as he promptly finished the bottle he'd brought with him, the burning drink roughly coursing down his throat, because if he wasn't wrong, he could've sworn Aizen was insinuating that-  
  
"Keep your guards up... his Zanpaktuo, **Enrakyōten, **allows him to warp the senses of all who hear it's release..."  
  
He oddly enough found himself utterly fascinated with how purple Tokinada's face seemed to be going.  
  
"The only way to break out is to pulse more reiatsu then he-" Aizen promptly pointed his sword towards the seething noble, his hands white from clenching his Ancestral Zanpakuto. "could _possibly_ ever produce."  
  
He almost couldn't help the chuckle that time as he watched the scene play out before him, idly wondering if he was even awake anymore. Because he was pretty sure, Aizen Sosuke just openly told the others his own Zanpakuto's weakness. And he almost, _almost_, couldn't help the trigger. The sudden urge to laugh! The sudden urge to cackle hysterically at what life had handed him!  
  
He'd almost lost it.  
  
Almost.  
  
Because at that very moment, he'd seen it.  
  
He'd seen his solution.  
  
He idly rose from his seated position, his eyes lackadiascially watching as Aizen continued trash-talking the noble. The noble whose hands were literally tied, given the bindings surrounding his chest. Courtesy of _Shunsui_. He'd started incanting the moment the illusion had shattered.  
  
Still, he ignored it all as he simply reached for his zanpakuto.  
  
He may not be able to kill Aizen.  
  
But he could certainly break him, one piece at a time.  
  
He pointed his blade, his mind entirely uncaring of the fact Tokinada's blade seemed to change in colour.  
  
_This..._ He realised with a hint of resignation as he stared at the mastermind, _Must be how he feels..._  
  
Because whether Tokinada survived, didn't truly matter. His plan would succeed none the less.  
  
"_Bankai," _Gin whispered. "**[Korose, Kamishini no Yari](https://bleach.fandom.com/wiki/Korose,_Kamishini_no_Yari)**_**," **_He watched with absolute disinterest as the blade sailed true, hitting the surprised Tokinada in the chest. He watched with idle fascination as the man swore, his ability to speak quickly dying out as his body slowly crumbled from the chest.  
  
And as much as he relished Aizen's surprised expression, he had one last thing left to do.  
  
Gin promptly flash stepped over towards the crumbling noble, and in as carefree and as _clear_ as possible, he exclaimed.  
  
"Eh! What a _truly_ dangerous Zanpakuto ability!" He watched, with absolute glee as Aizen's face twisted. Gin Ichimaru _immediately _picked up the blade left on the ground, his swaying body immediately flashing over towards the 8th division commander. "Perhaps it's best the Captain-commander keeps this _locked_ away! We wouldn't want such a dangerous ability to fall into the wrong hands... Who knows what kind of damage that _man_ could've done." He turned on his feet after throwing the damn blade towards the other captain, having finished his tirade, not giving Shunsui a chance to so much as speak.  
  
Locking gazes with Aizen, he smirked, quickly raising both of his hands as he walked towards him.  
  
"I believe I've committed a crime, _when's my trial?"  
  
...  
_

_...  
  
I stared at the smirking drunk idiot before, because seriously who attacks nobility? In public? me, his hands raised in the universal surrender gesture, even as he held his own Zanpakuto with one of them.  
  
"-when's my trial?" Gin finished, the smile growing as a glint filled his eyes.  
  
"...Yeah, no," I deadpanned, earning a blink out of the man. "There's no time for that," I added on with a shrug and turned towards Shunsui. The captain in question was currently holding Tokinada's Zanpakuto with one hand, a wary look to his face as he kept the blade as far as his arm could manage.  
  
"So, any idea-" I started in an attempt to earn the man's attention before Gin promptlyscreeched.  
  
"What?" Gin questioned, a dumbfounded look filling his drunken form.  
  
I turned towards him. "Yes?"  
  
Gin blinked as he took in my expression, one eye narrowing the slightest. "I want-" Though before the man could finish, Kaname quickly cut in between the two of us, his expression clear he was still looking for a fight as he grit his teeth, grabbing the drunk captain by the scruff of his cloak. Though Gin's eyes never left mine, even as he was jostled.  
  
"What do you think you're doing!?"  
  
Gin turned a single eye towards the blind captain currently shaking him. "Exactly." He stated, as serious as can be before he turned back towards me, and Shunsui, the man having decided to join the three of us. "I killed someone! I demand a tria-"  
  
"Tokinada was mine... How dare you take that bastard's life away from me!?"  
  
Honestly? The one I really felt bad for right now? Komamura.  
  
The poor captain looked so lost as he switched his expression between the two arguing captains casually talking about breaking one of the sacred laws of the realm. One having actually done the deed.  
  
Presuming Tokindada was dead. And you know... Not just pulling an Aizen.  
  
Aizen? Any idea? I figured asking the expert on the matter would help-  
  
Yes.  
  
That's not an answer.  
  
"Not my fault you decided to take so long! You had decades to do it!" Gin rebuked.  
  
I rubbed the bridge of my nose, closing my eyes in the process.  
  
"Now arrest me and give my goddamn trial-"  
  
"Enough!" I remarked the moment I noticed Shunsui about to jump into the damn argument. Locking gazes with Gin, I promptly made my way towards him, pushing past Tosen.  
  
"Gin," I smiled, "I really don't have time for this, so if you-"  
  
"I killed a noble! I don't care what future you're from! That's a capital punishment wait-"  
  
I promptly released my reiatsu again, filling the clearing and thankfully shutting the drunk captain before me up again. "Let me put this in a way you'll understand." I raised a single finger, pointing towards Kaname. "The only thing dear Kaname here is angry over is the fact you took his kill," I pointed towards the wary wolf captain, earning a startled jump in the process. He'd been glancing around nervously towards the eastern district for whatever reason.. "Komamura, as against this little debaccle-"  
  
"Good lord! A noble of Soul Society has died! Have you no res-" Komamura barked affronted as he stared at each of us.  
  
"As I was saying, he's not going to incriminate Kaname," Gin made to open his mouth before I glared. "And if he so much as thinks of bringing this up with the Commander, he can be damn well sure that Tosen's going down with you-" My threat of course only managed to confuse Gin even more as his brow furrowed in an attempt to process what I'd said.  
  
"What kind of b-" Kaname however immediately made to respond.  
  
"Tosen. Do not test me right now." I deadpanned before pointing towards Shunsui. "He quite literally attacked the noble before you,"  
  
Shunsui coughed.  
  
I finally pointed to myself as I stared at the now irritated captain. "I? Seriously couldn't give two damns right about now. You want a trial? Go back to the academy." I finished turning on my feet- And promptly froze at the sight of the Captain-Commander casually watching the four of us.  
  
"...Yo! " I deadpanned and promptly made to walk past the man, as if nothing had yet to happen.  
  
"Aizen-Taicho," Yamamoto started in greeting quickly causing me to freeze once again, a strained smile appearing on my face, his own gaze was momentarily drawn to the ashes on the manor's scorched floor, particularly where a certain noble had been standing, before slowly turning towards the ancestral sword in Shunsui's hands and finally going back towards my currently frozen body.  
  
I quickly raised my hands. "I had nothing to do with this!"  
  
'Cough' "Bullshit," 'Cough'  
  
Did... Did Shunsui really just-  
  
"Ahem!" Chojiro's narrowed eyes took me by surprise, having not noticed the man's presence earlier.  
  
I turned back towards the captain commander. Somewhat surprised to see that Yamamoto didn't look remotely offended. "Anyway..." Given the man's seemingly cheerful mood, I figured it was as good a time as any to ask, "I was wondering when I could actually, you know? Scout Huaco Mundo?"  
  
Yamamoto raised an amused eyebrow, "I believe the archives hold plenty of data-"  
  
"The archives were burnt down in the Quincy attack," Shunsui promptly interjected.  
  
Yamamoto blinked. "Then the back ups-"  
  
"Burnt during the Espada attack."  
  
Yamamoto took a second to process the 8th Division captain's words before sighing.  
  
"So... I guess this means I am going to Huaco Mundo?" I remarked. "Do make sure the Ryoka is combat ready by the time I return. Wouldn't want my Plan A to go to waste,"  
  
"Plan A?" Shunsui questioned, somewhat curious having heard nothing so far-  
  
I nodded. "Throw Ichigo Kurosaki at it,"  
  
Yamamoto, thankfully seemed to understand perfectly as he nodded. "I see. When were you hoping to leave?"  
  
"In a few-" Hours, only the final word failed to come out as I and everyone currently surrounding me felt the sudden concentrated pressure build up ontop of one of the cracked roofs above us. A brilliant flash of white light suddenly crashing down from the sky itself, covering the roof and everything beneath it in a myriad of colours before-  
  
**"****I hope you weren't planning to leave so soon Aizen-kun!"** The booming voice echoed out, followed by a jovial laugh, one that sent a chill down my spine. A large form suddenly came into existence as the light show promptly dissipated.  
  
The large form of the captain of the Zero Squad himself.  
  
**Ichibe Hyosube.**  
  
Just behind him, I could make out an unrecognisable group of people in matching uniforms, the only one in anything different been the shinigami himself. I figured they were the man's retainers.  
  
"**You've certainly been a busy bird! Aizen Sosuke! To think you'd managed to not only garner the attention of the king above all! but to impress him enough to order, nigh demand! Your very inclusion into-"**  
  
I turned towards the, steadily getting irritated, captain-commander and promptly cut the man off, earning a rare geniunely amused smile from Yamamoto himself.  
  
"-leaving now. I might be willing to make time for Gin's fun little murder games but **Santa Claus **is where I draw the line. Be sure to send reinforcements! I am probably going to need them!" I exclaimed and without a by your leave, disappeared. Destination Yoruichi's ward.  
  
The link between us, while had been increased to cover at the very least all of Seireitei, didn't cover travel to the Hollow realm.  
  
Yet. For some reason I felt like I was forgetting something. Something Tokinada had mentioned regarding the human world... or a few somethings for that matter...   
  
... Can't have been all that important if I'd managed to forget it.  
  
..._


	31. A Brief History Of Nel (Written in Nel)

-Seventeen hours after Gremmy screwed everything up-  
  
...  
  
Nel shifted the slightest as she slowly woke up from her nap and- _OH MY BARRAGAN! WHAT IS HAPPE_-  
  
...  
  
_Holy moly!_ Nel sat down in her- _HER!_ She briefly shook her head at, what she now understood was _not_ good etiquette, the internal scream. Room!  
  
Right.  
  
Nel had a room!  
  
She laid down on _her_ bed and barely contained the yell that threatened to come out because _she was so smart now!  
  
Holy moly..._ She thought once again, a far more sombre expression on her face as she stared at the ceiling.  
  
She was so unbelievably smart!  
  
She didn't know why... or how!  
  
But whatever happened changed... everything.  
  
She'd gone to sleep a child with blocked memories, a shadow of her former self, and woke up back in her _unreleased_ state. Something she without a doubt didn't remember having... At least this_ complete._  
  
And that was before the new set of memories started rushing in. Before she'd instinctively confirmed to herself that she had abilities she didn't recognise. For she'd _immediately_ started containing the new set of memories in a soul container, locking it away in her _inner _realm.  
  
As if she'd done it thousands of times!  
  
She wasn't sure what had happened but she was certain of one thing.  
  
She had changed.  
  
She _felt_ complete. As if everything, from the stars to her teeth, had finally aligned.  
  
She could _see_ so much more then before. Could understand the world in a way she had never thought possible...  
  
She tensed her hand, her mind boggled at the sheer _strength_ behind her grip. Her body automatically condensing reiatsu, the action as easy as breathing-  
  
Her eyes widened further the moment she noticed just how much reiatsu she seemed to have! Her hand practically glowing, without her prompting. The sheer quantity of it seemed to expand further and further towards her. The ambient energy drawing from where, she wasn't sure.  
  
She couldn't _feel_ her reiatsu per say, the only inclination that she was even using it was the currently circling halo of reiatsu around her hand. The shape _still_growing in size, a second ring already forming beside it, further down her arm...  
  
And yet she could feel no drain.  
  
With a single thought, the reiatsu vanished, leaving Nel to take in the new... _everything._  
  
As if someone had shone down a light towards every secret regarding their world and more...  
  
Yet... was it sad that she found herself wanting? That she found herself _disappointed_.  
  
It was _odd_ really.  
  
Yesterday she'd dreamed of becoming one of the legendary Vasto Lordes. Today she found herself _far_ past the level.  
  
Found herself on the cusps of ascending! Of becoming a legend in her own right.  
  
_What a stupid dream..._ She'd instinctively found herself thinking, her mind wondering where it came from even as her expression grew sombre, her lips trembling the slightest.  
  
She'd gotten her wish.  
  
Both of her wishes even.  
  
So why was she _sad?_  
  
She'd learnt the very secrets of her world. Yet she couldn't answer such a simple question...  
  
...  
  
The first time she'd _met_ Ulquiorra since waking up to the new world. She'd _immediately_ glomped him.  
  
"... You're certainly lively today," Ulquiorra stated in a deadpan voice.  
  
"Sorry! I don't know what came over me!" She remarked, immediately standing back, her hands raised just in front of her.  
  
Ulquiorra stopped on his feet and turned towards her, his eyes narrowed. "Did you hit your head somewhere?"  
  
Nel blinked._ Wow._  
  
"Kind of?"  
  
Ulquiorra blinked once, sighed, called her an idiot and wandered off.  
  
Nel twitched.  
  
"Jackass."  
  
"I heard that!"  
  
"I don't care!" She promptly turned on her heels, her mind screaming at her bodies automatic response, because she definitely hadn't intended to say that! And walked off from Huaco Mundo's WMD.  
  
Because yes, she'd gotten an extensive lesson on the power gap between the mortal Hollows and her _FREAKING BOY FRIEND._  
  
Not literally of course. But yes.  
  
It was _her_ idea.  
  
The poor hollow didn't have a clue on what it entailed. She'd evidently started calling him that ever since a visit, and by god she visited the realm _a lot,_ to the Human World in the 80s-  
  
Nel resumed her breathing exercises as the headache returned. She wasn't used to the level of information rapidly filtering through her mind.  
  
-And he'd just took it for the literal meaning. Boy friend.  
  
Thanks to _Josh Groban,_ the Bat Espada had a twisted sense of reality.  
  
In that he, quite literally, took everything at face value. Call him your friend? He won't kill you. Unless ordered. In which case everyone loses.  
  
Frankly, she was a little surprised he _hadn't_ tried to erase her existence for glomping him.  
  
He'd certainly erased hollows for less.  
  
And as far as Nel was concerned regarding _Josh Groban..._  
  
She wasn't touching that with a hundred-foot pole.  
  
...  
  
Her fellow Espada were in their rooms _a lot_. She found herself thinking.  
  
Well, not all of them. Grimjoww evidently disappeared. Nnoitra was generally been a bad-word to his own friends.  
  
Just the ones her memories seemed to surround.  
  
Particularly Harribel and Ulquiorra.  
  
Grantz joined them every now and then though his interests generally got him evicted by the Shark Empress...  
  
Still, the three spent an awful lot of time in their rooms... Which given they were the only ones who _weren't_ likely to attack her for ridiculous reasons meant her social options were rather limited... And she was a social hollow if nothing else.  
  
...  
  
She stared, her jaw openly dropping, as Ulquiorra promptly started levitating, a serene look on his face.  
  
She was staring at the _globe_ of reiatsu before her.  
  
"I can't believe you forgot how to enter your inner realm. _What _have you been doing for the past day?"  
  
She rolled her eyes and promptly started copying him, her own globe, albeit smaller, forming just before her. Though for some reason it looked... A lot _fuller? _Compared to Ulquiorras. The Bat Espadas, while bigger in size, looked almost _hollow_ inside.  
  
"Copy me," Ulquiorra remarked, his eyes closing as his reiatsu started forming.  
  
Nel blinked, waiting for Ulquiorra to explain further-  
  
"Cover your eyes in reiatsu," He explained calmly.  
  
She did as to- _HOLY MOLY!_  
  
The slip returned in full as her gaze landed on the _sea_ of colours before her. Her mind quickly seeing the patterns she needed to form, even as her eyes widened from the information processing through her mind, once again, _automatically-_  
  
Nel went still, her concentration breaking as she stared at Ulquiorra, her widened eyes slowly retracting to normal size as a _haze_ seemed to fill her mind.  
  
She blinked once, twice, as her mouth dropped as she stared. The realisation dawning on her like a truck.  
  
"It's you... Isn't it? You're _showing-_" She questioned, though Ulquiorra didn't seem to hear-  
  
"Are you copying me or not?" He questioned, a tad irritated.  
  
Nel sweatdropped as she did as asked, filing the question for later.  
  
...  
  
She stared wide-eyed at the new sight, her gaze swapping to a fro across the endless sea of sand. Her eyes locked onto the _hollows _that filled the expanse.  
  
The _thousends_ of hollows, going about their days across the sea of sand. All of them enjoying the _peace_ her realm promised. Even if, from the few she could see from here, some looked _bored-_  
  
"Why is everything so... Dull? Your hollows look _bored. _What happened to your realm?" Ulquiorra freaked her out as he appeared beside her.  
  
She blinked as she stared at him.  
  
"You... You're in my inner realm?" She questioned bemusedly, the information regarding the WMD somewhat vague-  
  
Ulquiorra blinked as he turned towards her, a frown forming on his face.  
  
"_How_ much have you forgotten?"  
  
"It's a fair questio-"  
  
"It is not." He stated, absolutely serious.  
  
She blinked at the sudden change in nature, Ulquiorra had gone from passive disinterest to genuinely affronted. A dangerous combination given the hollows supposed power.  
  
"You of all people can hardly complain about me visiting your inner realm when of all the +Espada, you are but one of _four_ who is allowed to manipulate mine,"  
  
Nel blinked, _again. "_So all of the Espada are in your inner world? Not Hueco Mundo?" she questioned for further clari-  
  
Ulquiorra's eye twitched as he stared at her.  
  
"Nel... Hu_a_co Mundo _is_ my inner realm."  
  
...


	32. Arc 2 Ch6 The Ulquiorra One

...

-Ulquiorra-

  
  
He idly fixed the _hat_ on top of his head, the annoyed expression on his face hidden away from the green-haired +Espada's view.  
  
He wasn't sure _why_ she insisted he wear the god-awful excuse of an unnecessary birthday gift. Or why she insisted on gift-giving in the first place...  
  
"Nel." Ulquiorra called out seriously, not remotely earning the hollows attention, her gaze fixated on the _tv_ screen she'd stolen.  
  
"Hmm?" She questioned distractedly as she watched the _strange_ human's body expand through _Black-Magic_.  
  
Another term he'd learnt from her.  
  
"No more birthdays. It's getting ridiculous."  
  
"Uhha," She nodded her head, clearly paying attention as she scooped another handful of the savoury snack into her mouth.  
  
"As long as we understand each other," Ulquiorra sighed as he turned to face the screen, mimicking the others actions.  
  
He watched idly as the new character on screen quickly transformed into fire.  
  
_"So cool!" _Nel remarked with glee as she watched, literal stars in her eyes as she watched the new character make his introduction.  
  
Ulquiorra promptly moved a hand towards his eye, intent on peeking into the future-  
  
Nel snapped her hand onto his, her vice-like grip cracking a bone as she turned a steely gaze onto him.  
  
_"Don't even think about spoiling this one." _She glared.  
  
Ulquiorra blinked, slowly lowering his arm before he responded.  
  
"Fine. But if this character dies, I am _not_ consoling you."  
  
Nel blinked back, her nose twitching the slightest as she considered his words before turning her eyes back towards the screen and then to him.  
  
"... Fine," She agreed with a solemn look. "A fair compromi-"  
  
"You're lying, _again._"  
  
Nel nodded and promptly turned back towards the screen.  
  
Ulquiorra sighed before turning his gaze back towards the screen. Only an hour to go before he could _finally_ get back to watching Grantz's little experiment, without Nel getting upset.  
  
_Again._  
  
Of course that was the moment his _birthday_ was thankfully interrupted as a third presence suddenly filled the room. Ulquiorra's mind somewhat hopeful it was _Lord_ _Groban_ with a new mission as he slowly turned around towards the source of the reiatsu burst. Nel's head less then a second slower as it copied him, herself expecting _Harribel_ to finally show up, albeit _fifty_ minutes earlier than usual compared to the previous events she'd invited her to.  
  
"...What the fuck did I just walk into?"  
  
Ulquiorra blinked at the sight of the shinigami he'd stabbed in the chest, his brow furrowing _immediately_ as his eyes widened.  
  
Nel on the other hand, proved to surprise even him as she didn't _immediately_start asking the stranger questions, for he was without a doubt a stranger. Instead, for the first time in centuries, freezing up, a startled expression appearing on her face as she opened up her mouth. "Eep! Aiz-" Only to abruptly stop, her head tilting the slightest towards him.  
  
He certainly didn't need to be told twice. He immediately got onto his feet, his hand ontop of his zanpakuto as his body got into a ready stance.  
  
"_How did you get into my private chambers?"_ Ulquiorra questioned calmly, his eyes narrowing as Nel slowly edged backwards behind him, a strained smile on her face.  
  
Aizen Sosuke tilted his head the slightest at his question.  
  
"I got lost..?" He questioned, one hand rubbing the back of his head as he eyed the decorations, all naturally given to him by Nel, before snapping back towards them. The look in the _dangerous_ beings eyes causing him to tense. Ulquiorra could, for some unknown reason, feel his hand minutely shake as he stared at the shinigami. Unsure of what to do or say... For if one could so _easily_ make it through to him... _Even Grantz_ couldn't do that without permission...  
  
"Any of you seen a cat?- Nel! You're an adult!" The yell caught the two Espada's flatfooted, Nel even more so by the far more startled reaction.  
  
Ulquiorra was pretty sure he'd never seen her freeze up before...  
  
"What? Grantz _didn't_ try to kill you this time?" Aizen suddenly remarked, a hand on his chin as he tilted his head again.  
  
_"Grantz tried to kill you?" _He turned towards her, eyes narrowed as his reiatsu suddenly filled the _sealed_ room, the temperature turning _ice-cold_. _"When?"_  
  
Nel snapped her head between the two, her hands raised just before her as a sweat drop formed on her head. "Um... yes? Sort of? But it was a _really_ long time ago-"  
  
Ulquiorra didn't waste so much as a second as he disappeared, the brief bloodlust that leaked from him practically knocking the breath out of both of them.  
  
...  
  
I stared at the Espada. One hand idly rubbing the clearly still working prison link that connected me to Yoruichi... Which meant Neko-gami was currently fine... Ish. I'd, against Shunsui's better wishes, unlocked the seal enough to allow the woman to use her reiatsu, on the off-chance shit went sideways... As it clearly has.  
  
Not to mention Yoruichi's face at the time had been _priceless_.  
  
I idly wondered if Shunsui _regretted_ deciding to come with me on my scouting mission...  
  
"So... You clearly know who I am." I remarked, eyeing the Espada, idly noting she was in her _humanoid_ form.  
  
Nel blinked twice as she considered the question.  
  
"Yes..?"  
  
I nodded before walking further into the room, idly taking Ulquiorra's previous position and promptly sitting down.  
  
Nel stared at me for a second, before slowly taking a seat beside me.  
  
"Is this Ulquiorra's room?"  
  
Nel nodded uneasily as I hummed in response, it certainly explained why I couldn't hear Aizen's voice anymore, I could still feel the Espada's lingering reiatsu, even in his absence, my gaze taking in the paintings that made up-  
  
The moment my eyes landed on the screen, my jaw unceremoniously dropped.  
  
_They were watching One Piece._  
  
"... You know he-" I started the moment I noticed which character was on screen.  
  
Nel **_slapped_** me, before immediately covering her mouth, her eyes widening in horror at the action. "Ohmhgahd! Idintmentod-"  
  
I blinked at the surge of words, not understanding a single thing.  
  
When the _clear_ reaction she expected out of me didn't come, the Espada slowly lowered her hand from her mouth.  
  
"Sorry!" She remarked, much more clearly this time. "Force of habit! Ulquiorra spoils _everything."_  
  
"You... You realise I am not _your _Aizen right?" I remarked with a hint of amusement, completely missing the second point, as I leaned the slightest on one arm.  
  
Nel spent a second to think over the words before she shrugged, though her shoulders certainly dropped, her stance no longer radiating discomfort as she seemed to actually relax.  
  
"No ones_ anyone's _anyone anymore... " She remarked, a brief look of pain filtering through her expression.  
  
"Deep." I remarked, missing her expression's shift entirely.  
  
Nel seemed to take the word in stride as she nodded.  
  
"So how did you get here? If you don't mind me asking. Even... The Aizen I knew would've had trouble getting here.." She remarked vaguely, her hands gesturing towards the room.  
  
"... I literally got lost on my way to Huaco Mundo..." I answered honestly.  
  
I am not sure how long it was until Ulquiorra came back, not like I knew how to leave this _space_, but for those few minutes, the two of us simply continued to stare at each other, both of us completely out of our depths, both of us waiting for the inevitable craziness that filtered our new worlds to catch up.  
  
...

-Urahara Kisuke-

...  
  
Urahara panted, a pained expression on his face, as he raised his head, taking a deep breath in before locking gazes with the charging hollow. The glint in his bloodshot eyes practically freezing the rest of it's kin.  
  
He tilted his head, avoiding the lithe hollows swipe, the purple creatures sword cutting a number of strands from his hair.  
  
He ignored how the hollows eyes widened in horror as it promptly turned-on it's feet.  
  
"Shit!"  
  
Urahara simply raised an unscarred hand, strands of hair held inside the closed fist. The strands, through his reiatsu, quickly extended, one line immediately locking around the hollows sword-arm, severing it and taking control and pulling the black long-sword towards him.  
  
He ducked, grabbing the flying blade, avoiding the sudden strike from behind before swiping up diagonally with his new weapon. A tad bit to big if he was honest. A line of red appearing as the large Snake-faced hollow blinked in bemusement.  
  
"What?" Were it's eloquent last words as it fell backwards.  
  
Urahara spared the creature a single look before turning back to stare to the horizon, his breathing uneven.  
  
He idly watched as said horizon lit up in flames once again. Soi-fon's bankai once again going through without a hitch.  
  
He briefly thanked the all mighty that the woman had agreed to an alliance.  
  
Even if it was at the cost of renouncing Yoruichi's involvement in his 'crimes' against Soul Sciety.  
  
The delusional captain truly thought his partner actually stood a chance of been welcomed back.  
  
Even if the Gotei 13 were somehow convinced, it was the nobles that really decided.  
  
It wasn't like Soul Society was going to stand up for them  
  
He sighed, a wistful smile on his face, one that sent chills down whatever Hollow that managed to survive as the sword in his hand crumbled. The hollow he'd stolen it off having been _killed_ by his fellow kin.  
  
Urahara shrugged the sudden chill that seemed to fill the air, every time the ninja corps captain used her bankai tended to end with the temperature dropping.  
  
And though she would never admit it, he could see, clear as day, that she'd been just as surprised of the change.  
  
Urahara raised his scarred hand, idly noting he'd gone through half the time he'd been given. He barely paid any mind to the missing fingers. He took in one last deep breath before he stated chanting, his eyes resolute, even as he stepped off the mountain of hollows he'd made.  
  
For whatever reason, these hollows, as powerful as they were, were easy to kill.  
  
A single sword strike, in the right place, tended to end them. With the right weapon of course. Though that wasn't so hard to come by.  
  
He raised his _scarred_ hand, a glint filling his eyes as the smoke dissipated, showing him the new flock of _far_ more enraged hollows charging towards him.  
  
**"Hadō #90. [Kurohitsugi](https://bleach.fandom.com/wiki/Kurohitsugi)," **He called out mid-incantation, his teeth gritting as he winced from the sudden reiatsu drain.  
  
He watched as the darkness appeared, swallowing up the hollows in the process. He watched as the attack practically _scattered_ the hollows that had managed to avoid it. Pure fear overcoming their anger as his evidently _poisenous_ reiatsu covered the grounds.  
  
Yet all he could see was a slope too high.  
  
It wasn't enough.  
  
His Black Coffin paled in comparison to Aizen's.  
  
It ate up more than twice the amount of reiatsu, even having read out half of the incantation required. Yet it was inferior in speed, power and size.  
  
How Aizen had managed to execute a picture perfect _Kurohitsugi_, without uttering a single word of the incantation, was still, even now, beyond him.  
  
He sighed, his head tilting dow. For a moment closing his eyes as he started gathering in the reiatsu in the air, replenishing his own in the process.  
  
For whatever reason, the never before seen open expanse of nothing but humanoid hollows of all shapes and sizes was _extremely_ rich in terms of the reiatsu.  
  
He wasn't sure how or why, nor was he truly going to complain about the fact, his body seemed to be capable of drawing said reiatsu. And under normal circumstances he would've never risked using anothers reiatsu.Fortunately for him, these weren't normal circumstance. He was certainly starting to enjoy the feeling of pure _rage_ that seemed to feel the world every time he did it. The so called espada-  
  
"_I am an Espada!"_ Grantz _roared_, his body suddenly coming into existence before him.  
  
"Ahem!" The _maniac_ before him quickly coughed, even as he tensed, surprised at the hollows appearance.  
  
_He's been reading my mind?_ He couldn't help but ignore the dread that filled him at the thought.  
  
"Well, I have to say you're doing quite well! A lot better than I expected-" Urahara's eyes minutely widened, his breath hitching as he watched Soi-fon's shadow appear behind the tattoo'd espada. The hollow oblivious even as her body manifested, her Zanpakuto already back into it's shikai, poised for the spot it had claimed earlier.  
  
The damn hollow had the nerve to keep showing it's face.  
  
It hadn't noticed Soi-fon the first the captain had nicked him.  
  
and it look-  
  
His breath hitched again, a grin threatening split it the moment Soi-fon's shikai connected.  
  
"Hmm?" Grantz turned his head, the captain immediately disengaging, her eyes narrowed as she stare at him. "Congratulations. You've killed me." He deadpanned, earning a snarl from the woman.  
  
Urahara watched, muted, as the signature mark expanded on the hollows body, without earning so much as a twitch from the hollow himself, nor a single sign of it working.  
  
"One down. Seven hundred and thirty seven thousand left- Ah my bad. Thirty six and a half, following today's test!"  
  
Urahara couldn't help the curse.  
  
And as if something had heard him, the very sky's themselves turned crimson as a _heavy _feeling filled the air. And for the first time since getting here, true fear showed on the hollow before him, Soi-fon idly coming to his side as she watched, herself transfixed.  
  
"Ulquiorra?" Grantz questioned somewhat flatfooted, his head snapping upwards, he hadn't seen the +Espada this angry since Hollow Christmas. An _infamous_ event in his kinds history.  
  
Truly, a one of a kind massacre.  
  
A brilliant flash of white suddenly encompassed the clearing, another lithe form coming out at a speed faster than his eyes could trace. His head immediately snapping towards the tattoo'd hollow, watching as it's eyes widened, it's body automatically guarding against the _literal _earth-shattering punch.  
  
Urahara spared the suddenly cracking sky a single look before he turned back towards the two hollows before him.  
  
"_You attacked Nel?_" The sheer venom that radiated out of the smaller hollow spoke volumes.  
  
Grantz's paling face said even _more_.  
  
"What? Why the he-"  
  
"Yes he did," Urahara couldn't stop himself, even if he tried. "I saw him do it," And without so much as a by your leave, he disappeared in a blur, intent on getting as far away from whatever the _hell_ Aizen had managed to create. Soi-fon on his heels.  
  
"Running away is the cowards way-"  
  
"If you want to fight that abomination. _Be my guest,"_ He snarked as he flew on further up, his eyes locked onto the crack in the sky, ignoring the suspicious gaze from his fellow shinigami.  
  
When he turned his gaze back down towards the ground, his mountains of hollows no more than a speck, his eyes widened at the sight of the suddenly approaching _sonic_ boom.  
  
The smaller hollow had struck again, this time landing a blow, if the growing crack was any indication.  
  
Not remotely deterred, he made to escape through the hole, the garganta likely on the other side- His hands automatically reached out the moment he caught sight of purple hair. The crack growing even larger as the hollow on the ground sent the Tattoo'd one across the clearing with another swipe.  
  
He watched, a grin threatening to cut his face, as Yoruichi appeared on the other side, her body falling almost comically, his relief however quickly evaporating the moment his eyes landed on her company.  
  
...

-Aizen Sosuke-

...

  
I tilted my head the slightest at the sight of the steaming Espada on the ground. Ulquiorra stood just beside him, a frown on his face as he stared at me. The bat hollow had just randomly reappeared before us, the former eight espada slung over his shoulder.  
  
"You didn't kill him right?" Nel questioned, a bemused and worried expression on her face.  
  
"That should be fairly obvious," Ulquiorra mumbled distractedly.  
  
"Sssorryyy...on't do it gain." Grantz muttered, a wheeze to his voice as his eyes spun. The dopey expression on his face resembled a fainted pokemon more than a hollow from here.  
  
"What did you do to-"  
  
"The question here is, what am I to do with you?" Ulquiorra spoke over me, his arms crossed. Grantz's _unreleased_ form twitching the slightest.  
  
"Uh... Maybe we should take him to Lord Groban?" Nel offered from the side.  
  
I held in the urge to sigh, thankful Nel seemed to have made up her mind on my offer.  
  
Ulquiorra nodded, "I'll wake him up,"  
  
"Cool. So anything-"  
  
"He's awake."  
  
I blinked-  
  
"He's very angry. We're leaving now. Nel, take Grantz to his room. I am letting him explain Urahara Kisuke's presence."  
  
I blinked again, a smile slowly growing on my face. "Kisuke's my reinforcement? What happened to Shunsui? And Yoruichi?"  
  
Ulquiorra blinked, clearly recognising the names. "...Crap."  
  
"What-" And before I could finish my next question, the room promptly lit up.  
  
"I'll join you soon," Nel called out, earning a nod from Ulquiorra.  
  
...  
  
"... Aizen Sosuke." the _irritated _sounding voice came through before anything else. The cloud of haze disappearing as quickly as it came.  
  
I eyed my new, _extremely_ dull, surroundings, entirely ignoring the _slanted _throne in the middle.Josh Groban's irritated, _sleep-deprived_ face almost causing to snort. Though thankfully it seemed to quickly fix up, the lines disappearing almost instantly as he fixed a passive look instead.  
  
"I am quite surprised-"  
  
"Where's the tattoo?" I questioned him, idly staring at the _strange_ entirely white- Made from bone? Mask just ontop of the throne. It looked more akin to a skull than any hollow mask I'd ever seen.  
  
Josh Groban twitched, his smile straining. Though he surprisingly managed to contain the sudden brief wave of bloodlust from sticking around.  
  
"It did not suit him," Ulquiorra calmly answered from my side, a civil look on his face.  
  
"_Riveting,_ I have to say Ulquiorra, I am rather surprised you took the initiative in capturing this... C_reature."  
  
"_I much prefer the term shinigami, thank you very much,"  
  
"I did no such thing," Ulquiorra remarked, earning a surprised look from the _gag _character I'd inadveribly brought into existence.  
  
"Oh?" Josh Groban stated, entirely ignoring my comment.  
  
"Yes, he himself walked into my quarters,"  
  
Josh Groban blinked.  
  
"_What?"_  
  
"I got lost,"  
  
"I, personally, don't believe _that_," Ulquiorra gave his own two cents on the matter.  
  
"_What do you mean he walked into your quarters?"_  
  
"Am I being ignored?" I promptly gestured towards Josh Groban.  
  
"One moment he was not there and the next-" Ulquiorra made to explain the art of walking through space and time.  
  
Josh Groban turned his gaze towards me, his eye narrowed at my lonely finger. _"... It does not matter," _He eventually stated, slowly raising himself up from the throne. "All that does is that you are here," He stated, his grin stretching. "_Alone," _He raised one of his trademark guns.  
  
I, of course, given the building ball of energy and Ulquiorra's passive expression simply _smiled. _The action, though admittedly earning a tick from the other, did not in fact slow down the build up of energy.  
  
"Any last words?" Josh questioned calmly, his narrowed eyes clear. Ulquiorra on seeing my non-plussed reaction warily took a few steps away from me. His eyes swapping between the two of us.  
  
"Yes, actually, if you fire that, Ulquiorra will **stop **you." I remarked, pointing at the bat espada in question.  
  
"I don't think I will," Ulquiorra immediately stated. Earning, to my surprise, a startled reaction from Groban. Though both espada kept their attention on me.  
  
Admittedly enough, I was surprised to see that the mere threat of any chance at Ulquiorra's interference seemed to steady the gun in his hand. His sole eye narrowing further. "Ho? Care to explain why?"  
  
I raised a single eyebrow, "I believe those were my last words, I am going to have to charge you for any more,"  
  
He twitched, "Your funeral-" He started, his hand straightening, his finger about to push the trigger-  
  
"Yours too," I shrugged, a lackadiaslca smile on my face. The expression not remotely budging the slightest, even as Josh Groban fired.  
  
...  
  
I turned my head the slightest, eyeing the black mark on the wall beside me, before locking my gaze on the surprised espadas.  
  
"Nel... What are you doing?" Ulquiorra questioned, panicked.  
  
The female espada in question was currently stood right in front of me, her back facing me, her hands spread to the sides as they made to cover me from Groban's line of sight.  
  
Ulquiorra himself currently had a wide-eyed look on his face, his hand outstretched, whiffs of reiatsu oozing out of them. The espada had geniune shock showing through as he stared at Nel. Had it not been for him, Josh Groban's blast would've reached it's target, that been me, going through Nel in the process.  
  
"Nel-"  
  
"I don't know..." She remarked, wide-eyed, her body tentatively shaking.  
  
Truly, an Oscar-worthy performance, if I do say so myself. Nel was slowly but surely proving herself my favourite Espada by far.  
  
So many talents!  
  
"Step aside," Josh Groban remarked, a dangerous tone to his voice.  
  
"I... I can't," Nel answered back, her hands shaking the slightest as she locked gazes with Groban.  
  
"What have you done?" Ulquiorra questioned, his expression slowly turning neutral, even as his body bent the slightest, going into a stance.  
  
"Ho? Come now, you don't think I'd come back here unprepared?" I questioned, giving the bat espada an amused look. Nel, even against Groban's simmering anger, stood her ground between me and the leader. Reassured that Ulquiorra wouldn't, no matter most circumstances, hurt a friend.  
  
Particularly, his friend.  
  
"Come back?" Ulquiorra questioned, "This is your first visit to Huaco Mundo," He stated matter of factly.  
  
"Explain yourself Nel," Josh Groban, evidently still set on ignoring me, demanded.  
  
"I... I don't know," She stated, wide-eyed, "I just can't let him die!"  
  
"But of course, I demanded you **protect me with your life** after all," I remarked crossing my arms, my smile growing.  
  
That, certainly, seemed to catch Josh Groban's interest as he finally locked gazes with me and glared.  
  
"You dare presume to order my Espada?"  
  
"Oh! I am not ordering her... She just happened to be one of the few to meet mycondtions-"  
  
Josh Groban's anger rose as he seemed to come to a conclusion, what conclusion that was? I wasn't entirely sure, "You dare attempt to control-" However whatever he'd been about to say seemed to die off as a veritable cloud of rage filled the room. My breath hitching in my throat as my focus snapped towards Ulquiorra.  
  
"This is your first visit to Huaco Mundo," Ulquiorra repeated, a dark look on his face. "I rather hate being ignored,"  
  
Seeing my chance, regardless of the pressure in the air, I immediately nodded. "I am well aware."  
  
His eyes, somehow, narrowed further. "I am sorry," Ulquiorra's sarcastic voice, admittedly, felt wrong to hear. "But I seem to be repeating myself... Like I said. You have not been here before, therefore you cannot claim to have come back. You claim to know me, yet again, I do not recall giving you the chance to learn anything about me. I would appreciate it if you stopped lying to my face-" And as the Espada went on, the pressure practically skyrocketing, I barely noticed the fact that both Nel and Josh Groban were in truth barely keeping up with the conversation going on. Their bodies exerting themselves more and more to stay awake, the leader in question's anger long gone in favour of shock as he watched me evidently take the pressure without issue.  
  
In responce to the bat's growing tirade, I promptly rolled my eyes and made my point as clear as possible.  
  
"I am from the future,"  
  
The pressure vanished, as perhaps the most incredulous expression I've seen yet, appeared on the Espada's face. His brow furrowing as he blinked.  
  
"... Prove it."  
  
"Enough of this, Nel step aside this instant, Ulquiorra don't take anything he says seriously, the bastard's obviously lying-" Josh Groban immediately cut in, a harried tone to his voice, an irritated expression on his face. I could see clear as day, the fact he didn't and likely would've never believed me. At least, under quite literally any other scenario, it would've held true.  
  
Unfortunately for him, I threw a damn good case.  
  
Because if there was one thing Nel made clear to me, in an attempt to warn me not to instigate the espada in question, it was that in the world's revamped history, Ulquiorra had never, at least in view of any other being, including Josh Gorban and herself, arguably the two most likely to know, needed to release his sword.  
  
Not once, in the past two thousand years.  
  
"**Enclose, Murciélago. **Did I get that right?"  
  
I held the smile on my face, even as Huaco Mundo shuddered.

...

...  
  
The ground was the first to get effected. My eyes widened as I immediately jumped to the air, Nel on my heels, her own surprised expression clear for all to see.  
  
"Ulquiorra! Control your-" Josh Groban's words died off as the hollow himself promptly started floating.  
  
"**Nel," **Ulquiorra's voice echoed out of every crevice, out of every which way except from the crouching body in front of me, his eyes narrowed, one hand on his zanpakuto. "**Step aside," **  
Somehow the Espada was still standing on the ground, even as it flowed around in waves. The walls themselves twisting and turning as reiatsu poured out of the pissed bat.  
  
"Ulquiorra! I am ordering-"  
  
"**Lord Groban," **Ulquiorra turned a single eye over towards his boss as his voice reverberated everywhere. "**Aizen Sosuke must die-,"**  
  
I frowned. "Why does everyone want to kill me!? Sheesh!"  
  
All of the Espada stared at me for that one, even Ulquiorra seemed to hesitate the slightest. Though his anger only seemed to escalate.  
  
On that note, I took my sword out and aimed.  
  
"Shatter! Kyoka Suigetsu!"  
  
Ulquiorra's fist crashed into my face, pain filling me as I felt the force of the blow go through, breaking my nose on contact as it pushed me across the distance, my body crashing through wall after wall-  
  
"Where in the-" My eyes widened as I stared out towards a freakingsea. As in yes, a large body of water. In Hueco Mundo! What the hell!? I quickly turned on the spot, eyeing the slowly closing hole in space.  
  
Did... Did I get just get punched into another dimension?"  
  
**"It seems you were in fact lying, about controlling my fellow +Espada,"**  
  
I idly turned towards the source of the voice, in that I mean I snapped my head to and fro like a headless chicken. Though all I could see far and wide was an endless sea of water. Where the hell did all this water come from..?  
  
**"I resent those accusations, I've been completely honest since getting to this bloody timeline!**" Funnily enough, my voice seemed to copy the Espada in it's echoey bullshit. Which was quite frankly disorienting as hell, hearing your own voice from every direction but your mouth was not a pleasant experience.  
  
**"Then explain to me-" **Ulquiorra appeared behind me. "**Why Nel isn't here to protect you now?"**  
  
I grinned, practically spinning as I switched to face him, "**I hold no grudge against that espada," **  
  
Ulquiorra's face, for whatever reason, seemed to twist for a second before a resolute expression took over.  
  
**"All who know my secret, must die. How unfortunate for you."**  
  
I raised my blade, grinning all the while.  
  
**"Does that include Josh Groban?"**  
  
Ulquiorra didn't answer, instead choosing to dash, his blade held out and glinting, before he swiped... At thin air. His expression immediately turning startled as his eyes snapped around. His head twisting as he made to look for me.  
  
**"How are you doing this!?"**  
  
I honestly didn't have a clue. I was standing still. Ulquiorra was currently looking in every direction except directly at me- He promptly stopped, the waves immediately calming down as he twitched.  
  
**"Harribel-" **  
  
I blinked. Did he just say...  
  
"-**s****tay out of this, this shinigami is mine to kill." **Ulquiorra snapped, his teeth grinding as his eyes narrowed.  
  
I turned to face my other side, temporarily ignoring him, watching as the blonde espada slowly copied Ulquiorra's teleporting trick as she appeared out of thin air. The missing mask a clear give away she was in her released state. Though this one seemed more modest, if the cloak covering most of her meant anything.  
  
"**Funny, I was going to say the exact same thing." **She remarked, a glint forming in her eyes as she raised her sword-arm, pointing It at me. As if I didn't have enough on my plate already.  
  
I blinked again, my retort dying out the moment I realised I was quite literally in the middle of the two, Ulquiorra and Harribel both covering one side.  
  
**"Question, can you hear the echo? 'cos I can hear an echo-," **  
  
My words earned me a snarl from both sides. Ulquiorra immediately, his eyes widened the moment he realised I still wasn't lying, raised a hand, the beginning of a cero forming as Harribel narrowed her eyes.  
  
"**You are not taking this away from me Cuatro-" **She snarled, raising her sword-free arm, her own cero forming.  
  
Well. Nothing to it. "**Ulquiorra's Resurrection is Enclose Murciélago!" **  
  
And honestly, I would've enjoyed Harribel's priceless face the moment she realised she wasn't beam clashing her Ulquiorra if not for the fact it meant she remembered.  
  
Still, given the clear dread pooling in her eyes as she watched her beam collide and shatter against Ulquiorra's, his own expression filled with pure utter contempt, I immediately flung myself towards the blonde dumbass and promptly pulled her out of the way.  
  
"**So I know you just tried to kill me and really it's not the first time, but he clearly wants to kill you, want to team up on him first? You can have a go at me later!" **I stated, absolutely serious.  
  
Harribel blinked as she stared at me, completely caught off-guard, she turned to stare at my hand on her arm, a baffled expression filling her face, before she finally turned back towards me, an unreadable look-  
  
The next thing I knew, I was flying across the sky in an arc, the never ending sea below me, my chest practically burning from pain at the sudden attack from the blonde shark. Eventually crashing into something with a grimace, the figure immediately plummeting to the sea below as most of the force behind the attack seemingly transferred, not to say it stopped my own sudden descent immediately. I'd just started floating, albeit upside down, in the air again. A myriad of swear words sudden came out from below. My smile returning the moment I realised the echo had finally disappeared-  
  
"Aizen-" Shunsui's subdued voice broke me out of my musing as I quickly fixed my form in mid-air, twisting around in a 180, eyeing the captain I'd showed up with- And Neko-Gami- Soi-fon aswell!?  
  
Well. We really have quite the group- Wait, who did I crash into?-  
  
"**Cool, so we really need to go-Oh for the- can anyone else hear that echo!?"**  
  
Shunsui blinked, his eyes trailing downwards before back up, and nodding. His hand stretched out, pointing towards the sea? I turned to follow the direction before forcibly holding in the urge to snort at the sight of the slowly rising and fuming shinigami.  
  
I'd crashed into Kisuke.  
  
...

-Ulquiorra-

_..._

  
Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes at Harribel, even as he heard the Time Traveller curse from the other side.  
  
"That was uncalled for," He remarked, quieting his voice in the process.  
  
She flinched the slightest, before her eyes immediately narrowed, her body tensing as she concentrated her reiatsu. "I was caught off-guard,'  
  
Ulquiorra nodded his head, turning his gaze towards the group of Shinigamis in the distance. "He seems to have a habit of doing that to us,"  
  
Harribel didn't react, instead focusing on the distance.  
  
"**Hey Ulquiorra!" **The infuriating voice echoed out.  
  
"Perhaps a compromise is in order," Ulquiorra offered, his body turning to face the direction of the echo. "What say we work together again,"  
  
"**Do you believe in mercy!?" **The voice continued. His own advanced sight giving a crystal clear image of the aforementioned captain. The dead man currently had his sword pointed towards him.  
  
Harribel, a tick in place, simply sighed and agreed to his offer. "Don't miss."  
  
Ulquiorra without skipping a beat got into position, both hands on his blade as he crouched, his sword to the side. "I couldn't even if I tried," He remarked, an amused quirk to his face at the thought.  
  
"**If you're saying something, just know I can't hear you!" **  
  
For whatever reason, the words earned another sigh out of Harribel, the female espada merely raising her hands to the sky, Ulquiorra momentarily noticing a look of confusion sweeping over her face.  
  
**"No, Time-traveller-san, I _do_ not believe in offering mercy." **He stated, earning silence in return, his reiatsu coursing through his blade, a cloak made of millions of tiny specks of reiatsu forming over it. Harribel's own reiatsu on the other hand merely rushed out of her outstretched hands. The wave of reiatsu immediately dissipating into nothingness, or as he truly knew into the _sea_ below, as a soft blue glow shined out of the Shark Empress's eyes.  
  
He watched as walls of water slowly rose out of the sea, finally breaking the rest of the shinigami's entourage silence.  
  
He, momentarily, found his focus fascinated by the sheer anger pouring out of Urahara Kisuke.  
  
"**What did I just warn-" **Though whatever the blonde haired man had been about to let slip vanished as the Time-traveler spoke over him.  
  
**"... I wasn't requesting mercy, Ulquiorra-_kun_,"**  
  
Ulquiorra stopped wasting time the moment he felt the sudden building pressure. Aizen Sosuke's figure momentarily shrouding in a thick cloud of _chaos_, as the man's eyes glinted.  
  
The cloak of reiatsu surrounding his sword immediately started descending towards his blade, space and time contorting as Ulquiorra reached out to grab onto a _piece_ of every offending intruder in Huaco Mundo. Or more plainly put, a piece of the souls of each shinigami before him. The cloak of reiatsu was now a vortex of swirling energy surrounding his sword. The space around it contorting as he pulled the blade back. Harribell's wall of Reiatsu, now surrounding every being in her Inner Realm, closed them out from the rest of her world, and more importantly, significantly reducing the coming after-shock. And while he could try to limit such a thing, he couldn't risk losing too much focus, lest their realm started unravelling.  
  
With that in mind, Ulquiorra took aim, his eyes closing as his reiatsu hummed. The warping space escalating as it covered him completely. Harribel's form slowly pushing itself away, even as she held the bubble surrounding them.  
  
"**I was offering it,"** Aizen continued unhindered, his sword now somehow directly pointed towards him. **"Reflect, Kyoka Suigetsu,"**  
  
Ulquiorra never even got the chance to fire as his sword fell free from his hand. His attack fizzling out as his fail-safe kicked into place. His body echoeing out as it crashed into the suddenly _reverting _sea. When he reopened his eyes, he found himself in a grand hall, the colour white covering every speck of dust, the sight a sore for his eyes as he instinctively covered his face with a hand. In the centre, his gaze landed on a throne occupied by-  
  
"_Hello_ _there_, Ulquiorra-kun." The brown-haired captain from before, a distinctively different look to his face and vastly different presence, remarked casually. Even as, for whatever reason, his own body _shuddered_ in his presence.  
  
"_Who are you?"_ He questioned, his eyes narrowing as he realised his voice as no longer being amplified.  
  
"If we're going to get along, I am going to have to make a few rules for you,"  
  
"Excuse me?" Ulquiorra remarked calmly, even as mind ran a thousand miles a second. His hand twitching at the lack of his sword.  
  
"Rule number one," The strange spirit? Continued unhindered, his body slowly rising from the seat. "Never, _ever_, hide anything from me again."  
  
Ulquiorra blinked at the demand, his brow furrowing. "I have no reason to oblige you," He replied, his body tensing as his reiatsu _failed_ to respond.  
  
"Rule number two," Aizen continued, his footsteps hardly slowing.  
  
"Why can't I use my reiatsu!?"  
  
Aizen raised a single eyebrow, "I am _sure,_ given what I've witnessed so far, you know what an _Inner Realm _is, Or do _Hollows_ have a different word for it?"  
  
And Ulquiorra froze, for that was without a doubt "Impossible!"  
  
Aizen tilted his head the slightest. "Rule Number Two," He repeated.  
  
"That's not possible! You're a Shinigami's_ spirit!_" Ulquiorra spoke over him, this time earning a twitch, one that sent chills down his spine- He briefly took a step back at the sensation. "Shinigami's only have one soul! They cannot hope to hold-" The wave of killing intent covered every speck of dust surrounding the captain, for a moment, seemed to paint the world in _red_,  
  
"**Rule. Number two." **Aizen repeated for the _third_ time, "_Never_ Insult my name _again."_  
  
"There's that damn word, _again_," Ulquiorra remarked through grit teeth, his senses screaming at him to _run_, even as he stared down (up) the Soul Spirit? Before him.  
  
"My my, it seems I have my work cut out for me," The spirit smiled, reaching a hand out towards him, though it would never reach as the world started shifting again, his mind blanking out as _Harribel's_ familiar feel of hollow reiatsu washed over him, a tell-tale sign the espada herself was once again conscious, bringing his own senses back to his world.  
  
...


	33. Ichibe Interlude

...

Ichibe seated himself opposite Yamamoto, a massive grin on his face as he eyed the lower ranked, awe-struck shinigami currently pouring them tea. His eyes took on a glint as he took in the male shinigami's name, his grin straining the slightest as his power showed him how utterly worthless the spirit was.

**"Is it just me, or is the Gotei 13 getting complacent?"** Ichibe's voice rumbled, turning the earlier expression on the currently stiff _Tea-Pourer _before them passive.

Yamamoto didn't so much as twitch at the question, his hands mechanically taking a sip of the cup before him.

"Perhaps you ought to take after one of my captains and acquire a pair of lenses,"

Ichibe barked a snort at the words, his hand grabbing onto the kettle settled for him specifically and took a deep drink, his mouth savouring the, albeit shortlived, _earthen_ taste.

"**Speaking of said captain..." **Ichibe locked gazes with the older-looking man, earning the slightest of twitches out of him. Yamamoto however merely placed his cup down and signalled for privacy. Every shinigami within hearing distance, of varying ranks, disappearing.

"..._Which captain would that be?" _Yamamoto questioned indifferently.

Ichibe held the urge to snort in. "**Aizen Sosuke, who else?"**

"Ah. I see." Yamamoto nodded. "I had a feeling it would be about him-"

**"Genryusai."** Ichibe cut in, his earlier calm disappearing as a glint filled his eye.

Yamamoto blinked once, his expression giving nothing away, before slowly lowering his gaze towards the cup before him, his hands once again mechanically going towards it. His reiatsu covering his fingers as the cup warmed to the touch.

"**A_ week_ ago,"** Ichibe continued undeterred, even as he watched Yamamoto quietly take a sip, his reiatsu forming up behind, shadowy tendrils quickly taking the form of a single. One that once again, failed to earn any reaction out of the captain-commander. "**This, was Aizen Sosuke's _name_,"** He continued, the name before them had a certain _sharpness_ to it's edges, every dash and line that made up the name sharpened, it's font _impeccably_ clean, almost reflective, it's swirls a work of art. Threads of reiatsu surrounded the name, their colour a pale blue, it's texture _unlike _the name, _rough, _the intricate designs running across each thread, looked _worn. Uncared _for even.

Ichibe flicked his finger subtly, though Yamamoto caught the action, even if he didn't show any outward reaction. His reiatsu once again obeying him as it came alive, a second name appearing beside Aizen's. It's font, much like the other, was unnaturally sharp. Though unlike Aizen's, Yamamoto's name's edge had a certain _gleam _to it. The very air around rising in temperature as the letters seemed to _burn_ up. The threads, unlike Aizen's, were far more refined, intricate large designs showcasing _clearly, _almost proudly, as they swirled around the name. The speed incomparable in the way it seemed to almost create an afterimage of a ring surrroding the name. Above all, even amidst the _storm_ of movement, it all looked _controlled._

Yamamoto raised an eyebrow at the display. "If you're here to talk about his development-"

Ichibe raised a single hand. **"_Oh ho, _he's gone way past development... Nor, is that where I was going with this." **He lowered his hand into a pocket, taking out what looked like a sweet as he continued. His reiatsu continuing on with the show as it spawned a third name. Only, one that was covered in_ shadows_.

Yamamoto narrowed his eyes the slightest at the feel of the _reishi_ before him. His eyes unblinking as they took on the _rampaging_ shadows that surrounded and hid the name before him. The chaotic vortex of energy passed out in every direction, akin to a sparkler, before it swirled around the name uncontrollably.

"**A week ago, that belonged to _him." _**

There were very few moments in his long life that he could recall ever seeing Yamamoto momentarily put speechless but, he was certain he'd never forget this one.

"**This is it _now_," **Ichibe remarked, one hand clapping the ground beside him, a shockwave of reiatsu rebounded off the ground as Yhwach's name _split in half._

Yamamoto eyed the two halves, the chaotic vortex cutting itself off the Emperor's name, though a small thread seemed to still connect the two, and moving towards the left. He watched as an _unknown_ name seemed to fill Yhwach's missing name. And to the man's shock, he watched as the previously unconfined, _chaotic and most certainly _**_uncontrollable _**energy settled down, it's sparks of energy reducing in both quantity and quality yet, instead of turning violent(er) as it should have given the _weak _vessel, it _seemed to calm down entirely instead._

The name itself, while making absolutely zero sense to their eyes, looked _rough_ beyond belief. It's tattered and tainted font a _mockery _of what a soul should be. It's unrefined, entirely barbaric style screamed _primitive._

Yet, this barbaric, this primitive, _rotten_ soul, had managed to contain _The Almighty._

Had managed to do what the Emperor of the Quincy's himself had failed.

For while Yhwach had _mastered_ the ability to see into the future.

The alien, for it most certainly was not of this realm, had managed to _instinctively_ understand it.

Somehow managed to take in the chaotic nature that was the ever branching _timestream and embrace it completely. _

Ichibe watched, silent, as Yamamoto turned towards the other half of the broken name. Turned towards what should've been Yhwach's name and yet... "**Don't bother,"** He remarked gruffly, a sneer on his face. **"For whatever reason, I can't seem to _see_ what happened to it myself."**

Of course, Yamamoto simply ignored him, his eyes searching still, starting to and from the other half connected to it. Though just like every other attempt he'd made to look for any hint of a name, the thread seemed to cut off into _nothing. _Shredded bits of thread slowly connecting to the ripped? End of the thread. Still try as he might, his eyes couldn't discern anything but the slowly _growing_ thread.

**"Still, despite all of that, the Soul King _approves_ of the changes, and that's that." **He shrugged, Yhwach's split name disappearing as quickly as it came. "**Far be it for me to contradict him." **Ichibe's eyes narrowed. "**Even ignoring the fact that for whatever reason, _Hueco Mundo's name _seemed to have changed over night... Because, again, _for whatever reason_, the Soul King approves." **his expression strained the slightest, a vein appearing on his head as he gripped a hand. "**I've heard the rumours of what he's supposed to be and given the changes I felt when he supposedly landed... I am inclined to _agree_ with them. For now. His so far actions aside, his presumed achievements included. I'll congratulate him when he accepts his new position after he, and given he isn't currently here, or you answer a simple question."** His eyes turned hard, Yamamoto's unamused expression not at all deterring him.

"**How in the Soul King's name, did he manage to do _this_ to his name?" **Ichibe questioned. His reiatsu immediately shifting as it reached out to grab the current form of the man's name.

Yamamoto blinked as he stared at the _thing_ that started to form before him. The name itself couldn't be seen at all, presuming it even existed in the first place, the threads of reiatsu from earlier long gone. His brow furrowed as he momentarily questioned Ichibe's sanity because he was fairly certain the Captain of the Zero Squad had summoned a _piñata._

_That _was it. For whatever reason, whenever he made to reach out towards Aizen's _current_ name, a single _customised_ piñata made of reiatsu was all he received.

_"_ ** _I am not sure what's worse, the fact he figured out such an ability before _ _me_ _-"_ **

Yamamoto sighed. Because of course, he'd missed it the first time, Aizen would be the one to figure out how to _naturally, for he couldn't feel a single bit of taint of it,_ modify his own _name_... Or at the very least, as unusual as it was, form an outer shell to cover it in...

**"-Or the fact he'd replaced the_ thing_'s head with mine..." **

And proceed to use that power to put the head of the Zero Squad Captain on a Piñata...

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone's confused as to why Ichibe seems to be rambling... He's not.
> 
> He's simply speaking his mind. Giving his own thoughts on what he thought of the matter.
> 
> Yamamoto knows he isn't looking for an answer. More that, he's simply there to essentially give them no excuses if and when everything goes to hell. Because he knows it is.
> 
> He's also throwing a bit of a temper tantrum.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget feedback!


	34. Arc 2 Ch7

...  
  
"Well. That worked," I shrugged, sheathing my blade.  
  
"What did you do?" Shunsui questioned blankly, his gaze locked onto the bodies on the sea of _sand_. The two crash sites being the only areas to automatically revert, the rest of the sea of water still slowly transforming back.  
  
Instead of answering, I immediately flash stepped beside one of the prone Espada. My hands swiping the blade beside him and without skipping a beat flash stepping back.  
  
Urahara gave me an incredulous look.  
  
"Souvenir," I smiled.  
  
He slowly turned his gaze to the two clearly _vastly_ more powerful hollows. Honestly? I'd been a little worried when Ulquiorra started twisting space like a Rubik's Cube. Before turning back towards me, a confused expression overs face.  
  
"Huh..."  
  
"Kisuke?" I questioned bemusedly, eyeing the far off expression on his face.  
  
"Yes, Sosuke?"  
  
I blinked at the response, turning my head towards Yoruichi. Finding a gobsmacked expression on her face as she stared at Urahara.  
  
"Well then," I shrugged again, turning back towards Shunsui. "I locked him out," I answered his earlier question.  
  
"Out of what?" Shunsui _immediately_ replied, entirely undeterred by Urahara's state.  
  
I vaguely gestured to the air around us.  
  
"Anyway, we really need to _leave,_ I don't know ho-" And thankfully I didn't even need to finish before everyone remembered that we were in fact still in hollow territory. Urahara immediately got to work, taking out some kind of device made of...  
  
"Are those hollow masks?" I questioned, utterly baffled.  
  
Urahara didn't answer, instead choosing to switch whatever thing he'd managed to come up with online. The space before it fracturing quickly as some kind of portal formed.  
  
The four of us watched, a mixture of different expressions in place. Soi-fon showed indifference, though she'd probably been in that mood ever since finding out Yoruichi was technically free. I am presuming from Shunsui. I doubted she'd be this calm otherwise... Shunsui had genuine interest going through his own as he watched on. Yoruichi's was oddly enough the hardest to read... Either that or she really just wasn't surprised.  
  
Before I could comment on any of that, nor the rather sizeable hole in space, I tensed the moment I felt the reiatsu wash over. The others on my heels as we all watched the previously transforming sea of water halt in it's tracks. The transformations in progress freezing and locking in place.  
  
On the ground, surrounding the two still unconscious Espada was a veritable clearing of sand, at the edge of which currently stood a _still_ wall of water.  
  
"Leaving so soon?" A voice echoed out, right above the two prone Espada.  
  
I sighed, my eyes twitching at the sight of Josh Groban.  
  
And just as I was about to retort to _that_, the others decided to show themselves as well. I watched as towards the corner edge of one of Harribels previous walls of water, the rest of the Espada slowly appeared out of thin air. All different expressions showing through. Some filled with dread, some with awe and a few with indifference.  
  
And by few, I mean _Grimmjow and Nel._  
  
Though the best face had to go to Grantz. The tattoo'd Espada had something akin to _Enel face_ going on.  
  
Naturally on sight of the number of enemies, I turned a single look over towards Shunsui and did the most sensible thing I could think of.  
  
I unattached Yoruichi's security rope and handed it over to Soi-fon, earning a surprised look from the captain.  
  
"I am afraid none of you are ready for this," I remarked, Shunsui immediately tensing, the man's reiatsu flaring before I watched, almost unsurprised, as _Aizen_ got to work on Shunsui's senses, peaking each sense until the man's eyes rolled to the back of his head as I grabbed onto his falling body before throwing him through the portal and with a burst of reiatsu, immediately pushing Soi-fon and Yoruichi through without so much as a by your leave.  
  
Kisuke?  
  
Kisuke walked through himself the first chance he got.  
  
"Now then-" I started, my hand immediately tensing even as a _bloodshot_ Ulquiorra grabbed onto his blade just beside me. An absolutely livid expression on his face.  
  
Naturally, I immediately smacked him over the head with my own zanpakuto, his head not so much as budging, and gave him a disappointed look.  
  
"Don't be a poor loser now, I won this fair and square-"  
  
"Ulquiorra," Josh Groban's voice caused me to jump as he suddenly appeared by the bat's side. "You had your chance, now stop-"  
  
"The fights not over!" Ulquiorra snapped, his hand tightening as he made to pull before I smacked him on the head again, earning a _growl_.  
  
"What part of that fights not over?" I questioned darkly, my hand not budging the slightest from his sword. "I _stopped_your attack," He winced. I took a small step forward. "I knocked you the _fuck_-"  
  
Though alas, Josh Grobans seems to have clearly learned from his lesson as he immediately raised his guns towards _both_ of our heads. Ulquiorra's eyes widening as a horrified look filtered through. The espada immediately letting go of _his own_ blade as he made to take a few steps back, behind Groban.  
  
"Apologies," Ulquiorra remarked glumly, his eyes locked to the ground, his teeth grinding as he spoke.  
  
Josh Groban lowered one hand, his gaze locking onto me. "Enough of your manipulations."  
  
I blinked.  
  
"Is the pot calling-" I crouched, dodging the shot of reiatsu, a grin on my face.  
  
Josh Groban's eyes narrowed as he slowly lowered his gun, locking onto me again. "You are oddly energetic, given that you are surrounded."  
  
"Mhm," I nodded, to give him that point.  
  
Josh Groban's eyes narrowed, "You cannot possibly think you can _take_ on this many of my Espada..."  
  
"Want to find out?" I continued smiling, my hands lazily sprawled over my kneecaps. One blade on each hand.  
  
"Lord Groban allow me-"  
  
"Ulquiorra. You've already had your go," Josh Groban started, only for me to interrupt him. My mind oddly filtering away the Espada choosing to stay back, huddling in a group of sorts in the process. Grimmjow, Nel and _Harribel_ of all hollows. Odd considering the recent attempts to _kill _me.  
  
"So have _you._ _That's_ **three** of the Espada I am counting," I chuckled straightening myself up, eyeing the slowly approaching Espada.  
  
"_Do I hear four?"  
  
..._

  
Josh Groban's eye wouldn't budge me from, one hand raised, immediately putting a stop to the approaching espada. I could vaguely hear one or two release a sigh at the fact.  
  
"No, I believe there's a much better solution for you," He stated derisively.  
  
I blinked, holding back the urge to cross my arms, given the swords. "You're going to surrender?"  
  
The espada twitched the slightest at my words, a gleam appearing in his eye momentarily. "No, I am going to give you an ultimatum."  
  
I hummed, raising a single eyebrow at the word, not entirely certain as to why but for some odd reason... I wanted to _laugh. _  
  
"And just to make certain you understand what's at stake-" Josh Groban briefly eyed the fidgeting bat beside him.  
  
"I'd like some-"  
  
"-_I'll _execute Nel here and now, should you decide to _refuse_ to cooperate," Josh Groban immediately interrupted my_interruption_. His words registering a moment later as _silence_ filled the open clearing. The only sound to fill it being the rush of waves. Ulquiorra's fidgeting immediately stopping as his eyes widened.  
  
Josh Groban had a satisfied smirk on his face at my own response. My smile disappearing as my eyes narrowed.  
  
"Good, that seems to have finally gotten your attention." Josh Groban continued, his arms crossing, his two guns clanking against each other. "You've got two options-"  
  
"Are you serious?" I questioned him, interrupting him, a passive expression on my face. His lone eye immediately narrowed, his smile straining as he took a second to respond... with a snarl.  
  
"Do you want to find out?"  
  
I tilted my head at him, finally noticing I wasn't in fact _wearing_ Aizen's glasses... Funnily enough I couldn't quite remember when that had happened.. Sighing once, I locked gazes with him. "Just making sure," I shrugged.  
  
Josh Groban eyed me warily, his teeth grinding against each other, the _wind_ whistling by us as no one made any sound. Ulquiorra, been the only one in my line of sight, was currently _glaring_ at me to obey.  
  
"You will obviously surrender." He started, his mouth loosening the slightest when I didn't react. "Grantz will have a _cell_made just for you,"  
  
"Keep my name out of this!" A voice echoed out, the tattoo'd espada currently even further away in the air then _Nel's_group.  
  
Josh Groban didn't react to Grantz while I struggled keeping my expression passive. Instead the man lowered his gaze towards Ulquiorra's blade for a moment.  
  
"You _will_ hand over that Zanpakuto-"  
  
"Oh poor Ulquiorra can't get it himself?" I immediately snarked, catching him by surprise. His head immediately snapping towards Ulquiorra the moment we all felt the reiatsu that suddenly filled the clearing at my words. "Control yourself." Josh Groban ordered calmly.  
  
The wave of reiatsu disappeared as quickly as it came.  
  
Still, I'd missed his following expression, my body reacting as soon as I'd made to move, if not _before _as Ulquiorra's sword left my hand, darting forward. I watched, a smirk slowly growing on my face, the blade sail. Josh Groban's face, practically in slow motion, as he turned back towards me.  
  
Just in time too.  
  
Ulquiorra's pointy end quickly found itself going through the man's eyepatch rather cleanly.  
  
I watched, fascinated as a _hole _surrounding the disintegrating eyepatch quickly appeared on the man's twitching face, his rapidly worsening expression disappearing as his body grew blue. Quickly breaking down into _millions_ of shards of reiatsu. _Two_ guns quickly falling into the open sea in his wake.  
  
When all eyes landed on me, all but Ulquiorra as the Espada immediately flew after his arcing blade, I raised both hands. One hand showing two fingers, as it still held my sword, with nothing on the other.  
  
"I guess that makes it two to none?"  
  
But damn, even I couldn't believe that had worked as well as it did... _Ulquiorra's Zanpakuto_ didn't slow down the slightest, even as it hit Groban's head-  
  
Said espada however quickly took me by surprise as he suddenly _flashed_ back into existence. A _furious_ expression on his face.  
  
I idly noted the fact he didn't have a single scar, nor _any _gun on him. Unlike the last two I'd taken out, his body this time _pulsed_ with power.  
  
I gave him a big _beaming_ smile. "Cool, so about that cell-"  
  
"You think-" Ulquiorra appeared in the background, right next to Grantz for that matter, a _frightened_ expression on his face as he quickly started whispering with the other. "-you're funny!?" Josh Groban continued without skipping a beat, likely not even noticing the others.  
  
I, on the other hand, gave him a shit-eating grin. "I wasn't trying to be funny, I was trying to get you to come out of your little wardrobe-" I side-stepped the incoming blast of cero, generated by the man's _chin_. My blade raised to intercept the new _sword_ made of reiatsu in his right hand, the two blades locking as I pushed my weight onto it, the espada doing the same, gritting his teeth in the process. "And look at that! Finally proud enough to show your real-" I raised my sword, hitting the rapidly burning hilt onto Josh Groban's _wrist _earning a snarl of pain out of him, Aizen's warning signs of the forbidden technique paying off. I pulled my head back, my body following, the moment the reiatsu sword dissipated. Josh Groban minutely leaned away from me as more of my reiatsu _blasted _out of my left foot, propelling it to meet the espada's face as I completed a full turn, my arms crossing each other above my chest as the sword glinted beside my face at eye level. Reiatsu slowly covered Kyoka Suigetsu from hilt to the point of the blade. Josh Groban's body slowing down in it's ascent further into the air as a widened eye slowly gazed back down, his head straining as he forced it back down to face me. The man ignoring the blood dripping down his chin, my reiatsu propelled kick doing more than I'd expected, as he stretched out both of his hands.  
  
Aizen's words, somehow unlike his earlier attempts to communicate, filtered through at the right moment. Though the sudden reiatsu drain quickly explained _why_ this was the first time I'd heard him in this realm...  
  
"**Hadō #32. Ōkasen," **My voice almost seemed to amplify itself as the wave of built up yellow reiatsu quickly expanded, firing in a wide horizontal line, covering the entire top half of Groban's body.  
  
The sudden _explosion _covered the two of us in a cloud of smoke as Josh Groban's grunt made itself known. I felt my reiatsu pour out, quickly clearing my line of sight of smoke, showing off the _startled_ Espada, having been pushed back quite the distance from the blast. Most of his entire top-half _scorched_, his body smoking as eyed the _shaking _arm he'd covered most of his face with. His gaze quickly turning back to me.  
  
"_...How..." _His voice was barely a whisper, "_How _did that do so much..." The espada however seemed to snap out of his daze as the anger from earlier returned. He raised his other hand, one free of any scars and pointed it towards me. I watched, my grin long gone as reiatsu started building up. The sheer sudden pressure quickly eliminating any sign of the earlier smoke as the wind's speed exponentially increased. Whatever hadn't burnt nor scorched from my previous attack fluttered.  
  
"... Well? No funny quips this time?" Groban questioned, a slowly growing grin on his face as a manic gleam entered his eyes. "You know what happens if you _dodge_ this don't you?"   
  
_Nel _get's it.  
  
Context really does wonders. Go figure.  
  
I closed my eyes, a sigh coming out. The action quickly stopping whatever rant Josh had been on, the wind pressure worsening as the cero build up accelerated.  
  
"So be it-"  
  
"I want Nel to deal with my food." I remarked, calmly, when I reopened my eyes. My gaze immediately locking onto the _large_ ball of chaotic energy, _barely_ held at bay just before Josh Groban's hand. His fist no longer pointing, instead fully open. "All of it-" Josh groan's face slowly turned a different shade as he copied my earlier act. His eye closing as a vein appeared on his head. "-I want the _best_ quality, and-" I turned _around_, my gaze locking onto the tattoo'd espada in the distance, giving Groban my back. "If my cell is in anyway, remotely uncomfortable, I will be-"  
  
_"**WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!? WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?" **_Josh Groban's _animalistic _roar_ immediately_ caused me to wince_. _My eyes momentarily shutting as a groan escaped my lips. My body on the other hand automatically turned on it's feet once again facing the Espada and the _much_ larger ball of energy. Which was somehow _compressing_, slowly getting smaller by the second...  
  
"Not so loud! _Bloody hell," _I of course, naturally replied, fully_ done_ with the situation. As if being in this world wasn't bad enough, having my eardrums burst is _not_ what I need added on!  
  
Josh Groban, on the other hand, glared and promptly straightened his hand and-  
  
"**_Coyote Starrk!_** What's the matter with you! Have you no manners at all!?" I continued, indifferent.  
  
_Missed_ entirely, his hand changing directions at the last second as _dread_ filled his face. The _atmosphere_ quickly turned for the worse as some of the other espada, having heard _everything,_ _paled_. And honestly with the _sheer_ amount of fear in the air, I don't even know which _espada_ it was coming from!  
  
And on _seeing_ all this, seeing the way Josh Groban _mutely_ stared back in open horror, his body slowly backing away.  
  
I locked gazes with him and nodded once.  
  
"I, think I'll start with _dessert _today, have Nel bring me some _ice cream_, I'll be in my cell," I waved a single hand and started making my way towards Grantz, my mind idly wondering if accessing the internet was at all possible in _Huaco __Mundo._  
  
...

...  
  
I whistled, a small grin blossoming on my face as I eyed my 'cell.'  
  
I quickly stepped inside. Eagerly taking in all the features I'd requested of my _tour _guide. Somewhat surprised he'd stopped fidgeting, instead choosing to stand just outside the entrance, a blank look on his tattoo'd face.  
  
"I can't believe you actually walked in," He deadpanned.  
  
I ignored him, instead busying myself with the mini _dragon_ tank. It leaned more on the size of a lizard, rather then anything actually dangerous. Grantz hadn't been kidding when he said he could _recreate_ anything I wanted. I turned a look towards him, eyeing the frown on his face. He was currently stood, still outside the perimeter, staring down at a _tablet_ of sorts.  
  
"What the hell..?" I considered asking him what was wrong before my eyes caught onto another _advancement_ I'd requested.  
  
A honest-to-god hoverboard!  
  
Yeah, I realised how stupid of an idea it was _after_ I'd requested it. Still-  
  
"Oi." Grantz's called out, my focus quickly turning back to him and-  
  
I blinked at the sight of the _vein_ on his forehead, a strained smile on his face. "_How _are you doing that?"  
  
"Doing what?"  
  
He twitched again, a sigh escaping his mouth, as he turned his screen towards me. From here it looked like some kind of 2d arcade game... There was a single long blue line travelling through a sea of red dots?  
  
"There are _seventeen_ reiatsu suppressors in this room," He twitched, eyeing the indifferent look on my face. "None of them are working on you..."  
  
I processed the words for a moment before shrugging and turning back towards the _game-station_ in front of me, idly noting the stack of games to the side. Stack of blank cases for that matter. Evidently all I need to do to start one of them was _break_ the casing. There wasn't a screen or anything to play off. Not that Grantz didn't know what an actual video game was... In fact he literally mentioned it as a hobby when I'd asked him.  
  
I just didn't want to think about what would... _Interest_ him.  
  
Still, even as I picked up one of the cases, I could hear him mutter in the background. His tone almost baffled.  
  
"Boss's just _multi-shots_ it's way through... Final boss's teleports through... Psycho boss-"  
  
I quickly raised my head, blinking rapidly as I turned towards Grantz. "- just destroys the suppressors..." He raised his head, easily ignoring the expression on my face, and continued.  
  
"Your one _dodges... _How are you doing that?"  
  
I waved a hand, "Forget about that, what's this I hear about _three_ bosses?"  
  
Grantz blinked.  
  
"You mean you _don't_ know?" He questioned abruptly, his device disappearing into thin air.  
  
I tilted my head. "Know what?"  
  
His expression turned passive, a chill filling the air. "Wait... If you're not here about that... Then _why did_ you come to Huaco Mundo?"  
  
I took a second to process the question, "I don't know, seemed like a good idea at the time. Truthfully speaking, I am probably _safer_ here."  
  
He twitched, a strained smile reappearing on his face.  
  
"I am sorry, but did you just say _safer?"  
  
I nodded.  
  
"Who could poss-"  
  
"_Santa Claus." I answered pre-emptively.  
  
He stared at me, pure disbelief appearing on his face. "Right... Wait-" His expression shifted again, the disbelief turning into _worry_. "So Boss says you're from the _future_, or you know the future..._"  
  
Which ones 'Boss' again?_  
  
"Right." I agreed, urging the espada to continue.  
  
"Do you know what we plan to do?"  
  
"What do you plan to do?"  
  
"... I am obviously not going to tell you."  
  
"Then yeah, I know what you're going to do."  
  
Grantz's head tilted the slightest before rapidly snapping back, a passive expression going over his face as he searched mine.  
  
"No, I can't do it, I don't know what the hell ya thinking," He remarked frustrated, turned around on the spot and _ran_. And by ran I mean he _teleported._  
  
I briefly took a quick look around before sighing the moment Aizen's signal went through and promptly dashed towards the mini dragon tank. Grantz had given me a quick guide on how to use it, and all of the _features._ My gaze snapped towards the enlarge button.  
  
Now I know it obviously wasn't an actual dragon. But what it was, was a _large_ manifestation of reiatsu. In fact, out of everything in the cell, it probably had the largest concentration.  
  
Which meant it would likely make... The biggest door? Gateway? I dunno'... this is why Aizen generally kept me up with the details. Which was a little difficult right now. But at least I didn't have to do the hard part.  
  
I put my open palm over the tank, feeling the reiatsu flow through it before I felt my own hum in the air. The tank _glew_ up like a light bulb-  
  
I briefly stumbled backwards as a screen suddenly popped out of thin air. One demanding a _password.  
  
-Admin Privileges required-_  
  
"..." I stared at the password screen, my stomach twisting for a moment. I wasn't sure if Grantz had or would even notice-  
  
"Screw it," I muttered and typed up the first thing that popped into my head. And the only thing for that matter. I didn't know the guy, like _at all._ Didn't pay attention to him during the show either.  
  
So imagine my surprise to see the password get accepted without issue.  
  
"...I can't believe he made his resurrection his password..." I couldn't help the words as I sighed, before walking through the suddenly generated gate.  
  
Destination?  
  
Psycho bo- I am kidding, of course.  
  
I watched as the shadows swirled round me, the other side coming into view almost immediately.  
  
The real destination? Aizen-  
  
I froze on my feet, the smile on my face straining as my breath hitched and took in the _blank_ clearing, naught but a single _tree _in sight.  
  
_Finally, that damned pressure's gone. I was not enjoying my-_  
  
Aizen's voice of course went ignored, my focus on the _two_ individuals in the distance.  
  
_What are you... Oh._  
  
_Yeah. _Oh_. So either you actually set the destination to... Knowing my luck... Psycho boss.  
  
Of course not._ Aizen didn't even seem offended, his own worry overtaking his ego for once. Not that I could blame him.  
  
_Great, so you definitely set it for-  
  
Yes.  
  
Perfect._  
  
I took in a deep breath- Momentarily choking on the toxic air, visibly shuddering as I quickly flash stepped to the two hollows. Said two immediately _perking_ up the moment they caught sight of me. The _wolf_ rising on all four legs as it jumped to the cloaked, head covered as well for that matter though I certainly didn't see the point, fun-sized espada's side.  
  
"So. Which one of you's psycho and which ones got my Hogyoku,"  
  
That's when I realised the cloaked figure _wasn't_ Starrk's partner. Gingerback.  
  
Because I am _sure_ as hell, she didn't have a-  
  
_"_**_[Heilig Pfeil](https://bleach.fandom.com/wiki/Heilig_Pfeil)!" _**The cloaked midget suddenly roared, a red glint filling up the shadows covering it's face, it's hands outstretched towards me.  
  
...

...

...  
  
I tilted my head, the _reishi_ arrow missing entirely as it shot past. The cloaked _Quincy? _merely lowered both hands, the bow dissipating entirely as the red glint dimmed down the slightest.  
  
"He's- _uhh_ Caliberating! That's the word!" The wolf barked out from the side.  
  
I blinked as I cleared the non-existent dust on my shoulder. "And that is?" The question earning a surprised look- _How the hell can you even tell!? _The internal question earned a sniff from Aizen.  
  
"Hmm," The wolf squinted it's eyes. "Logging you in?" It remarked, it's head bobbing up the slightest. "_No wait, locking onto you!_ That's the one!_"_ I stiffened the moment I realised the arrow from earlier was _still_ going on, not so much as leaning in _any _direction. The empty expanse insured nothing could get in the way. The reishi building the arrow up on the other hand _increasing_ as it went on-  
  
"Headshot," The creepy mini Quincy suddenly remarked. A low voice coming out.  
  
I watched the arrow disappear in the distance- My body automatically stiffiening as _time_ seemed to freeze, my gaze going in every direction before my head, at the last moment, snapped to the left. The arrow _nicking_ my cheek, cue _immense bitching_ pain, as it shot past and-  
  
_Right into the midget's cloaked _face.  
  
And if not for the _searing_ pain surrounding what I presume is going to be a scar-  
  
_How are you so calm about this!?_ Aizen's voice screeched into my head, the sense of pain intensifying for whatever reason. _What was that arrow made off!?_  
  
I briefly shook my head, the pain somewhat dying down as I felt my reiatsu hum, before focusing my gaze back on the-  
  
"How the _fuck_ did you do that!?"_ The wolf barked out, a panicked _look on his face as he swapped gazes between me and the _unconscious_ Quincy. The Quincy's cloak having been ripped apart by the blast. My eyes briefly widening at the sight of a _hollow_ mask, similar to _Ulquiorra's_, on the edge of it's head, along with what suspiciously looked like a _hollow_ hole just below it's neck. There was _shocked_ expression on it's face. "That should've been a _head shot,"_ The wolf growled out- My brain only now realising it's voice was likely telepathic, given the closed mouth. I briefly looked over the _unrecognisable_ as far as I knew, _hollow-masked_ quincy.  
  
The dark-skin, nor short dark hair not helping much.  
  
"It was." I shrugged. "Should've clarified _who_ got the headshot." I _guessed._  
  
The wolf blinked once, one paw coming up to it's face. _"Idiot..."_  
  
I nodded, crossing my arms. "Now, back to my _Hogyoku-"_  
  
I held in the sigh at the sound of another low growl as the strange dwarf slowly got back up, it's body covered in a _brand new _cloak, it's hands immediately going back into it's earlier stance.  
  
"I won't miss again..." It snarled, his eyes glinting red as a bow and arrow quickly came into existence. A line of white _sharp_ teeth showing through the clearly magical shadowed hood.  
  
"**Heilig Pfei-"** Was as far as it got this time, the arrow disappearing into thin air the moment the dwarf let go of the bow's string. A startled look filling the creature's face, it's earlier aura disappearing entirely as it briefly stumbled backwards.  
  
"What did you do?" It questioned warily, the bow dissipating as it lowered it's hands, quickly turning them into fists.  
  
_What did you do?_ I passed the question along- The answer quickly causing a _grin_ to grow on my face. The hybrid, on seeing said smile, promptly took another step back. The wolf beside him copying as it got to all fours.  
  
I watched, almost delighted with the answer, as dread quickly built on the hybrid in front of me. The wolf beside it _gulping_as Josh Groban's reiatsu filled the clearing. _Ulquiorra's_ itself momentarily appearing alongside him before disappearing entirely. Though the distinctive lack of Aizen speak probably meant he was still around.  
  
Regardless, I pointed towards Boss hollow's intended entrance point.  
  
Josh Groban materialised with a _thundering_ roar, a livid and absolutely _baffled_ expression on his face. His hands formed into fists, his teeth _grinding_ together. His face colouring in so many shades.  
  
Honestly. There was so much '_What?'_ showing through his face he looked like he'd seen the devil and found out he had a part-time job at a fast-food restaurant.  
  
I idly noted the scorch mark currently replacing his distinctive _eyepiece._  
  
"_Eye s_py with my little something beginning with thre_e._"  
  
"How did you get in here..?" He questioned in turn, for a moment looking like he had no intention of truly answering my question. _A little rude if you asked me..._  
  
"Grantz." I could feel it, as I spoke, my _connection_ to the realm disappearing as Grantz presumably removed my admin privileges.  
  
Josh Groban blinked, surprised at the answer. Or the fact_ I answered_, before his eyes narrowed.  
  
"He brought you here himself!?" He snapped at me, earning a startled jump from his companions.  
  
"...Sure. Now my question to you is..." I drawled out the words, earning another narrowed look out of the Groban. Though there was a certain curiosity in his eye. Pure interest showing through as he fixed his posture the slightest.  
  
"What's it like having _swords and shafts_ shot at your face?"  
  
Josh Groban gave me one more look over, sighed and raised a single hand. Though admittedly halting at the sight of me doing the same.  
  
"IF you don't want to answer that, I have a more serious one for you." I remarked, my smile disappearing as I locked gazes with him. Josh Groban's eye meeting my own.  
  
For whatever reason, he was entertaining me... As if he was in fact waiting for something from me... But couldn't bring it up himself?  
  
"Well?" He demanded after a moment of silence.  
  
"Oh right," I faked a cough, earning a twitch. "So you can turn your guns into clones of yourself right." I started off with a statement, the hollow not saying anything as it waited.  
  
"In that case, hypothetically speaking of course!" The hollow started twitching, Josh Groban's eyes slowly closing as an irritated expression replaced his calm, without a doubt knowing where I was headed with this but just the same _still_hopeful it's... _something_ else.  
  
"Can you _fuc-_  
  
He promptly kicked me out, not even letting me finish, of what I now realise was _his_ inner realm and back into my cell. Which admittedly was a bit of an overreaction.  
  
_I mean it was only a question._  
  
...  
  
**-20 minutes later-**  
  
I stared. My frown openly showing as I eyed the fidgeting, green-haired, Espada. I'll admit, there truly weren't many things that could really surprise me anymore. But sending _Nel_ in to interrogate _Aizen Sosuke_ was definitely one.  
  
"They sent you to _interrogate_ me?"  
  
"No one else wanted to do it,"  
  
I wasn't sure what to make of that, regardless I shrugged and promptly turned back to watching the _tv_ screen. Nel joining me without skipping a beat.  
  
"You really shouldn't play his games," She suddenly remarked, grabbing onto her own pack of popcorn.  
  
I fully agreed. Who knows? They could actually be_ fun._ Then I'd definitely be screwed.  
  
"Say Nel,"  
  
"Hm?" She questioned through a mouthful of popcorn, her eyes blinking as she turned towards me.  
  
"How do you feel about _kidnapping a midget?_" We should probably take the wolf as well... Just in case. Nothing to do with Shunsui._ Nothing at all._  
  
Nel, for the first time since I've met her, frowned.  
  
"We_ really_ shouldn't..."  
  
...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to leave feedback!


	35. Arc 2 Ch8 Part 1 (Grantz)

...

He was a reasonable hollow, all things considered.

He believed that any action, no matter the consequences, taken for the Greater Good of _himself_ was an action that ultimately was a reasonable one.

When he'd first met the Boss, he'd made as much clear.

All he'd ever wanted, was the freedom to pursue his interests and Josh Groban had given him exactly that.

Of course, as all hollows are taught not to do, it would've been stupid to simply trust him, verbal agreements didn't necessarily pay off in their world.

Which is of course where Groban's insurance came in. Particularly in the form of one Ulquiorra _Cifer_.

And given the 'Greatest Good' of all was his own personal survival.

Well, it was only sensible really. Deciding to corporate with said insane duo.

The sound of footsteps filled the white filled hallway. The two +Espada idly turning their feet as they reached a corner.

"Tch, looks just like his dam' palace..." Nnoitra grunted, turning a single eye towards Grantz. "Why'd ya let 'im change your realm up anyway?"

Grantz held in the urge to sigh, his gaze locked ahead. Couldn't the idiot figure it out himself? "Boss insisted. He believes my quarters the _safest,_" He remarked, a sneer on his face.

Nnoitra blinked, bemusement colouring his face. "Safest how exactly?"

"..._Yes_." Grantz allowed the hints of a smile to grace his face at his answer. It was the small things in life that gave one joy, really.

"Oh tha's haha funny, didn't figure ya to know what a joke was," Nnoitra sneered, his pace speeding up to match the higher ranked hollow.

"Speaking of jokes," Nnoitra continued at the lack of any response. "Ya know wha's up with _Jaeger_?"

Grantz held in the urge to sigh. Relief, however, flooded him as his gaze locked onto the entrance to Groban's newest office.

"Honestly Nnoitra I've got bigger issues then _ya_ boyfriend-" Grantz stopped his legs, the sight of a scythe latching onto the wall just before him. Nnoitra's reiatsu flooding the hallway.

"Those 're fightin' words, _Grantz-"_

_"Right." _Grantz rolled his eyes, ducking his head, as he continued on. Nnoitra's twitch disappearing as he unhooked his weapon off the wall. The brief crack instantly repairing itself.

...

Entering the new replica of Groban's usual meeting rooms, for a single moment, Grantz' eyes narrowed at the sight of the two early comers, already at their seats.

One of which having decided to take _his._

The room was, admittedly, smaller then Grobans old throne room. The distinct lack of a throne not the only difference. The only thing in sight, Groban deciding to forego everything else in favour of security, been the long narrow white table. As well as the holographic screen running down the length of the table. Showcasing from as many angles as he could manage, the jail cell of Shinigami Captain Aizen Sosuke. And his current 'volunteering interrogator' +Espada Nel Tu.

+Espadas Tier Harribel and Eren Jaegerjaquez' on the other hand had taken up the two seats cutting the table in the middle.

Grantz promptly made his way towards Eren's side.

"You're in my seat." He stated calmly, his gaze idly taking in Harribel's amused expression.

"Huh?" A shit-eating grin made itself pronounced on the Jaguar Hollow, the blue-themed Espada turning his gaze back towards Harribel, away from him. "Don't make me call Aizen-"

Was of course as far as the idiot got, Grantz not wasting a beat as he moved a wrist towards his mouth. The reiatsu-powered device blinking into life. The hollow in his seat blinking rapidly, his tongue having caught something.

"Aizen Sosuke-" "Hold on a second-" Grantz and Eren stated respectively.

"You have a challenger." He finished, his reiatsu flowing through him as he urged the room to transport the rapidly paling +Espada in his seat directly to Aizen's cell.

The holographic screen showcasing Aizen's momentary surprise.

Surprise which quickly turned into indifference as Aizen Sosuke promptly snorted, refused to participate and turned his head away from Eren.

At which point the Jaguar +Espada, believing his honour to have been rightfully besmirched, decided to leap.

"...Cruel." Harribel deadpanned, her gaze turning away from the screen, towards the entrance of the room. Shadows of the rest of his colleagues appearing on the ground. Signs of an incoming teleportation. A personal security measure he'd had installed himself. Grantz shrugged as he sat down. Nnoitra deciding to take as far of a seat as possible after the display.

A moment later, a brief flash of blue light appeared over Eren's usually seat, the +Espada's battered form dropping in, _smoking_ of something.

Nnoitra promptly let loose of any hints of control and started laughing.

"That was quick." Harribel added nothing to the conversation, the shark empress idly leaning her head onto an arm.

"Grantz," Eren started, a wince on his face, one arm raised up to fix his dislocated jaw. "You're an ass-"

"Round two," Grantz interrupted him, the wrist mounted device blaring to life once again as Eren disappeared.

"Someone's in a bad mood," Once again, Harribel added absolutely nothing to the conversation.

"There is a Shinigami that beat _you_, The Boss, the secret weapon and Ulquiorra into the ground, in _my_ realm. Mind you, the same one we are all currently in. Of course I am in a bad mood!"

"... Yes, that does indeed sound like something to worry about," Harribel stated passively, her eyes closing, the peaceful expression on her face pissing him off all the more.

Grantz' eyebrow twitched. "Thank you for the input."

"You're welcome."

He proceeded to the ancient art of banging ones head on a table, repeatedly.

Eren reappeared a few feet in the air, akin to a smoking fireball, crashing onto his seat with a thud.

"You really should stop instigating him," Harribel idly commented referring to their prisoner, her gaze turned towards the jaguar hollow.

"No... Shit... Sherlock..." Jaegerjaquez rasped.

Nnoitra's incessant laughter continued on, evidently with no end in sight.

Grantz, quite frankly, was starting to see Nel's side of things. Even if the hollow had more then likely only volunteered to keep an eye out if only to avoid the shit-fest this meeting was likely to be.

Really and truly, there was only one reasonable solution to dealing with Aizen Sosuke. And it certainly didn't need a bloody meeting to figure out.

Honestly, their best bet was to get as much distance between them and him as possible.

And as if they'd heard his damn thoughts. Josh Groban, Ulquiorra at his side, followed by the rest of the +Espada flashed into the existence outside the entrance. The highest authority in Huaco Mundo filtering into the room, taking their usual spaces. The only stand out been Ulquiorra, who occupied one of the seats at the end of the long narrow table. Groban on the other side.

The 'Boss'' words echoed throughout the room, though they never reached Grantz ears. His focus set on the leading hollow's expression.

An expression he'd seen thousands of times before. One that promised him a problem in the form of Aizen Sosuke.

One that threatened his Greatest Good.

"Before we get on with my plan, on the off chance any of you have something meaningful to contribute," Groban's voice continued on, Grantz' focus shifting. "Does anyone have any suggestions?-"

The incredulity in the Hollow's voice grated on his skin.

"Send him back to Sereitei, before he pokes another eye out." Grantz shrugged, ignoring the sudden brief surge of killing intent from the other hollow.

"Thank you for your input," Groban stated tersely, about to turn towards the screen-

"You're welcome," He finished, admittedly understanding why Harribel insisted on such an attitude, flashing Groban a grin in the process.

Honestly, were the female +Espada the only ones smart enough to see the situation for what it was?

He'd certainly never thought to see the day hollow kind was threatened by a metaphorical dick-measuring contest.

...

"Does anyone else have something they wish to contribute," Groban stated, a dull tone to his voice, not really expecting an actual response, as he leaned on a single arm. His gaze sweeping across each conscious +Espada.

Grantz rolled his eyes the moment he heard_ Aaroniero Arruruerie _speak up. His thoughts stalling as he straightened his posture. His fellow +(the plus)Espada probably already pinning him with a glare, hidden underneath his dotted narrow _false-_mask, even as he directed the question to Josh Groban.

"Is it truly wise to leave Nel with Aizen Sosuke? Given her questionable-" The pressure in the room slowly started to rise, Ulquiorra's reiatsu leaking out uncontrollably as the +Espada turned his gaze towards the steel cucumber in the room. Eren Jaegerjaquez immediately straightening in the process, his previous pain forgotten.

"-actions?" Arruruerie continued unimpeded, his expression hidden.

Still, Grantz could blatantly see where it was going. The irritating bastard had a habit of going after him.

Josh Groban idly hummed, levelling a single look towards Ulquiorra, the look managing to cleanse the air, the pressure disappearing as fast as it came.

"Zommari, if you will." he waved a hand towards the second +Espada currently hiding under a glorified costume device. The first of course been Aaroniero himself. He didn't care how the damn thing worked, as far as he was concerned, it was akin to wearing a costume. Even if that costume was their pre-resurrection forms.

Honestly, what self-respecting hollow had vanity issues? Grantz minutely shook his head, for a moment garnering Groban's attention.

Eternal life was quite frankly losing it's lustre. What was the point in being able to live forever if one had to spend every waking moment of eternity surrounded by idiots.

Every augmentation he'd made to himself, from his body to his mind, had only strengthened his distorted view of the... Grantz shook his head again, his mind once again wondering where it ought not to.

He had the rest of eternity to worry about his sanity.

He watched as Zommari, a similar, rather insufferable expression on his own face. Though for vastly different reasons. Zommari's been the fact he was using his 'powers.'

"Nel's reading will say as it always has, loyalty to Ulquiorra, therefore I wish to clarify that I am against this abuse of my capabilities. I am, after all, one of the +Espada-"

"Get on with it!" Eren Jaegerj' groaned, earning a dismissive look from the interrupted hollow.

The +Espada slowly closed his eyes, a third opening just above his neo-eyebrows. The rest of his body lifting off the ground into a meditative pose as the mind eye locked onto the hollow in the screen. Grantz's own irritation filling him as he forced more reiatsu into the holograph inducing machines hidden inside the table, if only to avoid Zommari accidentally overcharging it and blowing it up in the process.

It wasn't exactly easy having every thing set up.

"Nel Tu is-" The dark-skinned +Espada's main eyes suddenly reopened, shock showing through as he blinked. "-Loyal to her _friends_?"

Grantz, admittedly enough, had been too engrossed in the surprise reading to have noticed Ulquiorra facepalming himself.

"So, nothing new," Harribel suddenly remarked, once again however, _not adding anything to the conversation._ The Shark Empress was smarter then that, a genius in her own right. He_ knew _as much. Yet she refused to show any of it.

Grantz turned his gaze towards the front of the table, watching as Josh Groban held the bridge of his nose. His lone eye closed.

"...Nel wouldn't betray me," Ulquiorra suddenly stated, and really that was that. Given the expression on his face, he doubted even Groban was willing to poke him with a metaphorical stick.

As with any society that surrounded the whole Might is Right philosophy, there were certain moods from their walking mass of weaponised destruction that everyone collectively avoided antagonising.

The crazies included.

Grantz liked to think he wasn't part of that particular group.

"A moment if you will," Aaroniero quickly took control of the conversation, one hand on the nearby levitating Espada's shoulder, halting him from deactivating his ability. The irritated expression on Zommari's face turning for the worse. Aaroniero once again however ignored it as he turned his gaze towards Josh Groban.

Grantz held in the urge to roll his eyes.

"I believe there is another whose _reading_ I encourage," Aaroniero turned his metal casket of a head towards him. Grantz forcing the smile on his face. Even as Josh Groban's face took an amused expression.

Zommari on the other hand stayed silent, simply waiting on an order from Groban, not that it was to be long one. The gunslinging hollow idly waving the go ahead.

Grantz watched on, the smile on his face not budging, even as Zommari's expression twisted. Anger, confusion and above all, _fear_ filling up his face.

"Grantz is loyal to himself-" Nothing new, Grantz could've and _has_ told them so himself. "Betrayal clouds his mind-" Zommari's eyes reopened again, quickly narrowing as they locked onto him. His ability to read his fellow +Espada enhanced and borrowed from Ulquiorra himself.

Having acquired said ability from Huaco Mundo's bat during his _hunger_ days. Which, to no one's surprise, hadn't taken much convincing to achieve.

Zommari had used the fact he possessed multiple eyes as proof that the ability was practically made for him. And Ulquiorra, being who he was, shrugged and gave him what he'd wanted.

Not that any could really blame the lower +Espada.

The ability to discern ally from enemy was, after all, invaluable to any hollow.

"Oh?" Aaroniero's smug voice, even if it didn't sound remotely different, was starting to grate on him. "Curious is it not, Lord Groban? Perhaps Aizen Sosuke hadn't after all _accidentally_ stumbled upon _your_ private quarters." Said shinigami was still, as he'd been doing for the past few hours, ignorantly watching one of Nel's requested series with her. Entirely indifferent to his circumstances from what he could make out of the screen before him.

Grantz figured that was as good time as any to cut in. With a geniune smile on his face, the eccentric Espada promptly started clapping his hands.

"Congratulations," He stated, in an utterly dull tone. Before to the surprise of the camouflaged +Espada before him, he promptly deactivated the device disguising him.

The bastard had forgotten he was in _his _realm. Aaroniero's true resseructed form quickly showed itself, towering above every hollow in the room, the malevolent eye'd glob of stupidity snarling at him. Even as he raised his gaze up, Grantz had never felt calmer.

He promptly stood up, one foot on the table before him.

"Tell you what, if and when I do decide to _mutiny_," Grantz narrowed his eyes, his own reiatsu flooding the room, the majority of it focused on the glaring purple sludge of a hollow before him.

"_I'll start with you_," He pointed a finger, a sinister smile taking over his face. "I'll cut you down into two pieces and make a damn sock puppet out of each _head_!" He stretched his hands to the side, a manic look overtaking his eyes. "That sound good to you!?" And, as if someone had turned a switch on in his head, Grantz's manic expression disappeared, his passive look returning, his hands pocketed. His body falling back into his seat with a soft thud.

"... Ulquiorra, if Grantz defiles Aaroniero's body-" Groban remarked after a moment of silence, figuring his rant to be over. Said +Espada in question, despite the fury on his face, promptly reactivated his camouflage device. "-restrain him," Groban finished, amusement radiating out of his face as he stared directly at him.

Ulquiorra's rapid nod, if not for his masterful control over his emotions, would've likely resulted in another rant-

A tired sigh echoed out from in front of him, Harribel's steel gaze a complete contrast to the action.

"I hardly think it's wise to push _Grantz_ towards a mutiny," Harribel's steel gaze turned towards Groban. The gunslinging hollow's back straightening the slightest, a wary expression filling his face. "Unless _you,"_ Harribel locked gazes with 'The Boss.' The eye-patched hollow's teeth grinding the slightest at the coming insult. Harribel, with a fake cough, _corrected_herself and continued.

"Any of you at that, wish to fight Aizen Sosuke and the shinigami's eventual _reinforcements_ without his, for lack of a better term, _Immortality curse_..." The shark empress paused, letting the others process the words before continuing.

"Given our current track record... If that were to happen, _some_ of us are rather more liable to end up in the same place as _Barragan_." Harribel finished, an indifferent expression on her own face.

The uncomfortable silence that filled the room at the words only served to make Groban's barely hidden _displeasure_ all the more visible.

Even as half-true as they were. It wasn't true immortality after all. His input had only made sure that, so long as a single hollow remained in their _inner_ realm- The same kind he'd thrown against Urahara Kisuke, they wouldn't die.

Without his ability, without _him._

They, the +Espada of Huaco Mundo let alone the rest, would have all have died thousands of times over by now.

Ulquiorra's presence alone would've wiped out _colonies _of arrancar.

"We are getting rather side-tracked as it were," Groban eventually settled on. Zommari's levitating body slowly lowered itself back to the ground. Aaroniero's wardrobe malfunctioned back under a control, though the +Espada barely managed to conceal his anger at been... Well, humiliated.

Grantz as a response, snorted, his gaze rising to meet Groban's, a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Oh? And here I thought we were just having a social call," Grantz supported the back of his head with both hands. "My my, such high expectations of us, _Boss-sama_."

...


	36. Chapter 36

...

He breathed in the surprisingly fresh air, his surprise open for _none_ to see. He hadn't necessarily put much thought to what the _atmosphere_ ought to resemble. He didn't have many plans of setting foot into this section of his inner world. Yet his subconscious seemed to seek an agreeable one none the less.

His gaze set on ahead of him, towards the first of his many monuments. His gaze marvelling as he took in the engraved _foreign_ name at the bottom of the pedestal-like stone structure. The texture hollow-like, yet it was a language he had never seen before. The _warper's_ backfire effecting him even now after his death, filling in things he would've never guessed existed.

His annoyance towards the one controlling and juggling his life, blindfolded, lowering.

One might say he was almost _thankful_.

He knew, almost instinctively, that without his interference. Without the _chaos_ the other attracted, he would've never even thought to create such a construct. His gaze travelled up towards the near empty top of the structure. The hints of see-through, crystal-like, boots painstakingly forming. Still, he knew he wouldn't get a better chance then this.

Somehow, despite all odds, the boy had managed to convince, via _disrespect_ no less, the residents of Huaco Mundo to give him sanctuary.

And given he didn't need to completely form any of them... Merely set the foundations so to speak. His gaze turned towards the other, rather admittedly long, set of pedestals slowly but surely forming. The one at the other end seemingly the largest one.

The one before him on the other hand, was so much further ahead because it, was linked to the only Espada who seemed incapable of understanding what a _loss _was-

_Oi Aizen!_ The voice echoed out, taking him by surprise. His face frowning as he felt the veil of Ulquiorra's reiatsu respond to his attempt to reply. And while he _could_ force it...

_Aizen, I think we've got a problem!_

He blinked again, his eyes closing as they switched over, taking in what the-

Aizen held in the urge to shock the boy, his eyes reopening back into his realm. The boy's apparent issue surrounding the _cartoon_ he was watching with his former, _former_ third espada.

_He's not supposed to do that! _

Aizen idly took a single step forward, ignoring the voice entirely, the wind blowing through his air, a wistful smile making it's way onto his face as he enjoyed the kind of peace he'd expected decades later then this. He took in the boundless sea of sand before him-

_Dofla- The pink guy doesn't- _Aizen temporarily muted the boy, intending to undo it as soon as his attention inevitably shifted. Not to mention he quite frankly had bigger things to do than worry about a _cartoon._

His gaze went far and wide as he turned away from the forming pedestals. The moonlight washing down on him, his eyes finally locking onto the first of many more. Separated away from the main rulers of the Hollow realm, he quickly flashed stepped to the- His face lighting up in another smile, the emotion seemed incapable of leaving him, as he reached the location.

His Hollow realm, for the moment was an endless sea of sand. The two plots of land allocated were separated by nought but more mounds of sand. Given the inferior hollows- The _-Espada_ and below at that, more then likely couldn't stand to be within proximity of the last brand.

He idly took a few steps around the quickly forming crystal form before him. Unlike the others, it seemed pedestals weren't required. A fact he simply put down to ones reiatsu levels.

Behind him _thousands_ more, much faster then the +Espadas temporary casings, rapidly forming.

He'd at first assumed it to be a fault with his own prowess. Given what he was currently staring at, it seemed the +Espada simply had _too_ much reiatsu.

His eyes momentarily widened as he realised the endless horizons were quickly filling up with more of the same, the crystal structures evidently not as draining as he'd expected.

He pity'd _Ulquiorra, _truly.

It would've never occurred to him, such a _blatant_ issue in hindsight, and he could hardly not believe it given he was currently using the Bat as a power source.

He couldn't imagine having so _much_ reiatsu he wouldn't notice it getting _stolen_.

Shaking his head, Aizen turned away, his flash step landing him just outside the main _portal. _The only entrance linking him to the rest of his inner realm.

Even here, the two worlds required such a separation. Hollow reiatsu in the end was too corrosive for the structures made out of his own.

Yet as he made to step through, another thought filtered it's way inside his head. His amused expression souring the slightest as he turned to stare at the ground. His gaze furrowing as he made to focus at the sight of sand... His irritation piling as his attempt to modify the environment failed.

He held in the urge to sigh, a wistful smile coming out. Unlike Soul Society, it seemed his lack of inert understanding meant he couldn't be rid of it.

Even in his _own_ inner world, one he could _manipulate_ to match his near-every whim, Hueco Mundo's deserts refused to leave him. Despite his distaste for the element, despite his efforts, he couldn't be rid of it.

Almost symbolic really, if not for the underlying tone of what Hueco Mundo _truly_ represented.

Even if the fault for the _newer_ version laid at two idiots with a magic lamp, the fact it was even _possible_ for such a hollow realm to exist... One where reaching the status of a Vasto Lorde was the equivalent of a shinigami gaining a _shikai_... He couldn't help but wonder what else was possible. Yet he knew the road such thoughts tended to lead to. And given he'd _barely_ lucked out the first time...

With a sigh Aizen turned his attention elsewhere. Particularly the fact that, even though he couldn't manage to, _Tier Harribel_had somehow turned the endless sea of sand into water. Worse yet, his former third Espada had somehow manifested an _underwater _city into her own world. A feat he had no hopes of accomplishing any time soon.

He stepped through the swirling portal, _his_ Soul Society appearing within seconds. _His_ office-to-be at that.

One of the few, exact, copies that he hadn't modified in any way.

He rather liked the captain-commander's office the way it currently was.

His smile reappeared within an instant, his eyes locked onto the crystal like sheath nearing completion just behind Yamamoto's empty pedestal. He had no intentions of starting on _his_ casing, not until he figured out what it was he was going to likely be dealing with. For that matter, he hadn't planned on starting on the residents of Seireitei until the other was done.

Hollows, after all, made rather wonderful test subjects.

Still, that didn't mean he couldn't start on those currently unnattended to, particularly the sheath before him. Currently less then a quarter of the way done.

Tokinada's death had been an unexpected, and better yet, _free_ bonus.

He really had to hand it to Ulquiorra. Even if it wasn't truly his own doing.

The Bat had the right idea in bringing the hollows together, in putting all of _them_ under his roof.

The only thing Ulquiorra lacked was _ambition._

And Aizen Sosuke had that in _spades. _

Why settle for one realm? When you can have them _all._

_..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope You enjoyed! Don't forget feedback!
> 
> Two idiots with a magic lamp; Gremmy and the SI
> 
> #WhatHappensWhenYouRoastAizenForBeingLonely


	37. Arc 2 Ch8 Final Part (Grantz)

...

"_Barragan_ would've never stood for this insolence," Aaroniero interjected his worthless opinion on his choice of words. Grantz, not missing a beat, flipped him off. His momentary urge to end the parasite almost overtaking him.

Groban's grinding teeth were admittedly the only thing that he seemingly paid attention to. The severity of the action generally indicating how angry Huaco Mundo's leader was. And judging from the expression currently been thrown his way...

Grantz idly fixed up his posture, his gaze turning towards his future science experiment. Aaroniero none the wiser, even as Zommari slowly edged away from both of them.

Eren and Nnoitra- _Mostly_ Eren really, were quietly complaining of the fact no one was currently paying them, any attention.

His 'boss' on the other hand was in a _good _mood... Which given the situation meant he'd probably come up with some sort of plan.

Given the hollow in question, Grantz figured it wasn't too complicated.

Some form of sabotage, followed by a, in the long term, worthless distraction caused by either tweedle-_fuck!(Ulquiorra) or_ tweedledu- _Huaco Mundo's numero uno dumbass_(Yammy).

And given he wasn't currently trying to rip his ears out, it meant the latter was currently fucking around in the human world.

And then... Well, it didn't really _matter. _Groban's plans very rarely left their second phase- Grantz blinked, releasing a hold of his reiatsu as he realised he'd instinctively. Yeah, _instinctively_ muted everyone around him, meaning he'd simply shut off his hearing. Most of his attention focused towards Aizen Sosuke's screen. The shinigami currently trying to win the argument regarding who was the _real_ main character of One Piece.

The most dangerous shinigami he'd ever laid his eyes on was currently trying to win said argument. With Nel no less. The +Espada firmly set on her favourite character, the live-recording letting him lipread the hollows speech on why she believed-

_'His dad was the pirate king! Of course he's the main character!'_

"-antz!" Grantz blinked, his focus shifting towards Groban, an unamused look going through his face.

"Are you paying any attention?" Josh Groban started, his displeasure rapidly rising as Grantz simply blinked in response.

"..." The +Espada considered the benefits of at the very least pretending, given he had a pretty good idea of what the other was probably talking about-

"No."

"I see." And while Grantz could describe the expression that had graced his _beloved_ boss's face, his attention as it were was promptly taken away, nor did he actually care to.

Focusing towards the rapidly twisting expression on the more immediate danger,_ Aizen Sosuke's_ face. The shinigami's retort to Nel dying on his lips, his eyes widening as they stared towards the screen. An expression that seemed to freeze time itself. Dread and fear pilling at the bottom of his stomachs, Grantz's eyes widening the slightest as he recognised the look before him.

The finality it represented.

The _urgency_ it brought about.

The _realisations _it created.

The reiatsu in the air shifted, Josh Groban evidently done with waiting for him to presumably apologise- and honestly, didn't the hollow have any sense at all?

Couldn't he see it _yet? _

Couldn't any of them feel it?

Everything was unravelling. Their plans and secrets were about to go haywire, the coming storm indiscriminate in it's timing. In it's _victims_.

Grantz locked gazes with Groban, withering the hollow's glare. His own reiatsu flooding the room covering him and blocking out Groban's own. If only barely, his boss was just as likely still in his _good mood._

He could certainly understand the principle of the matter, not that he really _cared _all that much.

The screens before them, on his command, enlarged in size. Attracting the rest of his kins attention. Groban's false expression disappearing as he finally realised something was coming soo-

"What of it? What am I looking at?" Groban questioned, his irritation truly showing through. His bemusement as easy as a book to read.

"..." He didn't reply, unable to truly comprehend the hollow's answer.

And honestly? Wasn't that just _sad. _Grantz wasn't sure if he should even bother humouring his so called _leader_.

_"It's funny,"_ Aizen's voice echoed through, the shinigami's previous look of... _Realisation _having disappeared. _"Of all the things to really put things into perspective-" _The shinigami's voice continued, almost peaceful in tone.

Nel's _joyful_ expression melting by the second at the sight.

"Grantz's obviously trying to change the-" Aarnoniero's voice _grated_ on his skin, Grantz barely holding himself back from grabbing his head and _screaming_ for all the realms to hear.

** _Why couldn't any of them see it!? _ **

His brief frustration however was, in the end, just that. _Brief._

Schooling his expression, Grantz shot two point-blank ceros, both of them _grazing_ Aaroniero's 'sanity' containers. The camouflage disappearing in another static burst. The two beams carved through the purple flesh with ease. The hollow's screaming, whether in pain or outrage, entirely irrelevant.

"That," Grantz remarked pointing towards one of the many screens, his face paling the slightest as he waited for the bomb to drop.

_"I never expected it to come from One Piece going AU-" _He, for a moment, considered whooping out in joy as he watched the understanding slowly reach Josh Groban's eye.

Aizen Sosuke, ignoring Nel's stream of questions, promptly stood up, static generating and randomly hitting each and every screen before them. Their last image of the Shinigami-

Ulquiorra, his movements near a blur for the rest, flinched. A wince of pain filling up his face, his eyes momentarily closing.

'_Whoosh!'_ The rush of wind, _indoors_, brought about with it a feeling of dread. Grantz immediately jumping behind Ulquiorra. The rest of the +Espada of Hueco Mundo rapidly scattering.

Currently straightening himself up, ontop of the middle of their table, was Aizen Sosuke.

"Hello, again!" Shinigami remarked, his grin ever present. The only difference been the shinigami's sudden change in _hairstyle _of all things, his brown hair unlike earlier combed into a controlled state-

"My first break out!" Aizen 'suddenly' remarked, his 'goofy' persona peeking through.

Grantz, despite himself, snorted, the slip accidental.

-And the current gleam in his eye.

"Congratulations!" Aizen echoed out, his eyes trailing towards Josh Groban's.

"You've finally got what you wanted. Josh Groban. One hundred percent serious this time! No more fucking around. I think I've wasted enough time as it were!" Aizen Sosuke grabbed hold of his zanpakuto, his grin though still visible, massively reduced in size.

Yet despite it all, Grantz felt the fight leave him as he realised one very startling fact. The one thing he hadn't in fact considered.

Aizen Sosuke had managed to traverse from one end to the other, of his Inner realm. Within seconds. _And without a sign of fatigue to show for it._

"+Espada? Of Huaco Mundo," Aizen Sosuke unsheathed his blade.

"_You have my undivided attention._" The words, unsurprisingly, dropped the temperature n the room, Aizen Sosuke's reiatsu beginning to seep out as the shinigami raised his sword towards them.

_"Give me a reason to let you live."_

Despite the fact he had absolutely no reason to truly worry himself, as without him alive, Aizen Sosuke had no hope of getting home.

Grantz gave the shinigami one anyway.

"I am very good at-" He aimed a finger, the cero shooting out faster then the eye could see, hitting it's intended target.

"-friendly fire."

"Grantz!-" Josh Groban's voice and utter annoyance be damned-

Aaroniero's whine on the other hand was, admittedly, rather soothing to his ears.

Truly, the wonders of _therapy_ were endless.

-And seeing as he couldn't do it himself, even _he_ had limits he couldn't cross, he rather looked forward to the moment Josh Groban inevitably decided he wanted another sword put through his eye.

Aizen Sosuke's deadpan nod towards his answer was really the icing on the cake. Even if he was pretty sure the time traveller, albeit one who decided to comprehend his situation at the worst possible time, didn't even understand what he was _supposed_ to be doing.

Honestly despite everything he'd witnessed so far, Grantz wouldn't be surprised if Aizen Sosuke was as lost as everyone else.

...

_ **Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget feedback!** _

_ **Next time on forget the rails, we have Not!Aizen's very first attempt at a prepared plan! The sudden change in mindset will also be... Explained? Shown? One of those.** _


	38. Arc 2 Ch9

...

(Aizen)

_-A few moment earlier-_

"Nel." I stated calmly. "The story follows _Luffy's_ perspective yes?" I questioned, earning a rapid nod. "It's Luffy's dream to become pirate king while Ace_ doesn't_ want the title in the first place, yes?" Nel made to respond only to stop at my raised finger.

"Answer the question."

Rolling her eyes, and failing to hide the fact, she nodded her head again. The espada idly turning the rest of her body to face me. The video screen showcasing said anime continuing on in the background.

"Ok-" I started, about to bring up my third point before Nel evidently ran out of patience, having waited zero seconds, a single finger raised towards me.

"It follows Luffy because it's like a _biography!_ You can't write your own one you know!"

I twitched, barely holding in the urge to blink. The female espada raised a second finger.

"And everyone knows the _best_ leaders are the ones that don't want to lead!" Nel gave me triumphant grin, her arms crossed, her nose stuck up the slightest.

"...A pirate king doesn't lead _anyone. _It's not a political rank. They're still _criminals._" I deadpanned. Nel blinking bemusedly as she uncrossed her arms. A figurative lightbulb going through her head, one hand palming the other.

"Like us!"

"Ah... _Well-"_

"And the hollow king leads us! So the pirate king leads the pirates!" She recrossed her arms, glee practically pouring out of her expression. "Ace is like Ulquiorra! He doesn't want to lead either." Nel nodded firmly.

_Poor Ulquiorra..._

"... So by that logic, does that make Josh Groban a terrible leader for _wanting_ it?" I ignored the rather obvious pitfall.

Nel's expression straightened up, her cross-legged form loosening up the slightest.

"I guess..."

"So Josh Groban's the _Luffy_ of all hollows?"

Nel blinked, her eyebrows narrowing the slightest, before pouting towards me. "...You're going to get me in trouble." She complained, uncrossing her arms before turning her gaze away from me back towards the screen.

I couldn't help but stare, my retort rapidly deteriorating as I instead took in the utterly strange situation I'd found myself in. Nel's expression rapidly turning to joy as she took in Ace's 'appearance.' The shackles evidently a non-problem for the espada. The episode recap going through Sengoku's speech once again.

Idly looking around, I found my thoughts drifting towards the sheer level of _advancement_ Huaco Mundo had to offer. No doubt _decades_ ahead of the other realms. The surreal thought, that what should've been considered hell was considerably further ahead than the rest, lingering.

There was something distinctly wrong about that _picture_, yet figuring that out was practically a lost caus_\- _

_I am an idiot._

_Agreed._

_Not even going to ask?_

_Aizen?_

The silence, in hindsight, said quite a bit.

"Nel." I, focused back on the hollow, called out, earning a wary look in return- The expression almost stopping me entirely. _Almost._ The realisation that Nel was a potential treasure trove of information the only thing to keep me going.

Oddly enough, I was somewhat surprised Aizen hadn't shown any interest himself.

"Yes?" She questioned.

"What do you know of this wo-"

"I know everything about this world's history!" Nel suddenly exclaimed out loud, pure joy emanating out of _nowhere_.

I blinked, one eyebrow raised, my earlier expression gone. Her reaction admittedly taking me back.

"Uhh. _Grantz_ made everyone do what they hated the most learn something for one of his birthdays-"

_Oi..._

_How long do birthdays last here?_

"That was _before_ I realised how much fun the human world was!" And yet, to my surprise, the moment Nel finished. A geniune look of fear took over her expression-

_Shit. Right, not actually canon._

"_Right..."_ I shifted my gaze the slightest, turning towards the nearest, _blatant_, camera watching us. _Oi Aizen can you put- _stupid _question, really_.

_Indeed. Two for two in the same hour? I _am_ impressed._

Ignoring _that_.

"How much do you know about the time before the soul k-" I blinked, my peripheral picking up the screen in the background. Watching as it panned to Doflamingo.

"-ing..."

I blinked again as I watched Doflamingo promptly go off-canon, my words lost in my throat as I turned my gaze towards the screen fully. Nel's bemused expression clearing up as she and _I_ watched One Piece's Heavenly Demon break Fire-fist Ace out of his bindings.

_He's not supposed to do that..._ Time seemed to slow it's endless stretch, the thought overtaking everything, my visual blurring the slightest.

"Aizen?" Nel's voice echoed out, ignored.

I blinked again the lingering thought ever-present as I slowly straightened myself up. My calls towards the body's real owner ignored.

A low sound escaped my mouth, my mind barely registering it as a snort. One hand on my face. Nel's continous calls ignored, her voice washing over me. The snort slowly escalated into a low chuckle, my head shaking.

I'd known I'd screwed canon to hell and back, on the first day no less.

I'd used that as an excuse to... For lack of a better term, take a backseat.

If only to avoid making a bigger mess of things.

_"Fuck Dressrosa,"_ Doflamingo's voice echoed through the screen, completely overtaking Nel's worried voice.

So much for _that_.

"Aizen!" Nel exclaimed, her hands finally registering on my shoulders. The hollow's worried gaze admittedly endearing. The sight driving another point home.

Despite how utterly _wrong_ the world was... I found myself dreading the thought of losing it.

Because honestly where else would I ever get the chance to watch Doflamingo _utterly fucking lose it _with possibly the greatest (only) _Nel _incarnation I've ever seen_? _

_"_It's funny..." The words rolled out of my mouth, Aizen's reiatsu filling every cell in my body. Nel's worried expression softening the slightest at the sight.

And more importantly, how do I make sure said world _stays_ that way.

"I never expected it to come from One Piece going AU..."

"Expected what?" Nel questioned, bemused. The words only earning a wistful look from me. The urge to tell the espada what I was about do dying down. Her connection to Ulquiorra could only do _so_ much. I certainly didn't need to give Josh Groban any more of a reason.

The answer was admittedly rather obvious.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," Were admittedly the wrong words to use, given the sheer _panic_ that took over her face.

I needed to take over the world. Before any of the other idiots accidentally destroyed it.

_ There are moments were your thought patterns simply astound me. _

"Nel," I ignored Aizen's words, though I could feel the veil covering me enhance itself. The, _presumably,_ smug captain predicting my need rather easily.

"...Yes?"

The first step to world domination for the greater good (of Animefan!Nel), of course, is further cementing- _nay _making _certain_ that the next person to accuse Aizen Sosuke of anything was _lynched. _

By Ukitake's barracks in particular.

_"_You mentioned one of Groban's laws... A_ny_ shinigami deaths need his approval?"

The hollow, taken back at the question, could only nod. "Your souls can't _transfer... They leave a... _scar on the world And Soul Society wouldn't ignore that._"_

I nodded.

"Why?" Nel questioned. "I am _fairly_ certain no shinigami has ever died in Hu_a_co Mundo..." She blinked, confused at her own statement. "Any wanderers usually get _taken_ _over _by one of the +Espada..." She scrunched her expression, the information just as surprising to her.

Evidently, Nel's other mental voices/souls were just as friendly. I couldn't help my grin from showing itself. And honestly at this point I wasn't sure what it was directed towards-

"It let's us, well the ones that bother to _learn _anyway, use your _K__ido_. So it's a bit of a waste too."

"...Of course it does_." _The words came out almost instinctively, a deadpan look filling up my face. Still the, unnecessary in my honest opinion, _buff_ aside, that worked rather well with what I had in mind.

If Doflamingo could somehow be inexplicably convinced to pull the rug from under his own feet and save _Ace_ of all people, with all the bullshit that entailed, then this should frankly be a walk in the park.

_I still don't see how this helps you. Just because they'd _rather_ not kill you, does not mean they _ _won't_ .

Which, admittedly is true. Though given I wasn't even thinking about _my_ chance of survival, doesn't mean much.

_What exactly are you planning? How do you hope to gain Soul Soc-_

_Two words, Aizen. Just two._

I grinned, reiatsu flowing through me as I made to flash step.

_Kaien Shiba._

...

...

Looking back on what I've managed to live through... From accidentally labelling myself a time-traveller to accidentally rewriting Hueco Mundo's reality. It was a wonder that I could still somehow manage to outdo myself.

But in all honesty, I am putting this whole thing on Groban.

Because of all the dumbest ideas he could've come up, the fact it's taken me this long to realise of course ignored, he decided to put my cell in Grantz' Inner realm-

I raised Kyoka Suigetsu, the blade humming with power as I locked gazes with the nearby espada.

"-friendly fire," Grantz finished his reasoning. Aaroniero's pained grunts disappearing, the espada raising himself to his full height. The casing surrounding his head dwarfing me. His gaze locked onto me, even if his killing intent was directed elsewhere.

Towards the side, I idly noted two cracks in space opening up. Josh Groban, followed by Harribel quickly jumping through them.

Ulquiorra, Grantz behind him, stood in front of the adjacent wall. His gaze idly swapping between me and the two retreating Espada-

"+Espada's nine to six-" I blinked, surprised at the sudden echo, Groban's voice sounding through from every angle in the room. The words however put the surrounding Espada on alert, all of them readying themselves into a stance. "-_g__ive him a reason." _

Well. That certainly didn't take long.

"_Good luck_." Grantz deadpanned, idly putting a hand on a _relieved_ Ulquiorra. The two disapearing through another crack in space.

Taking a single step forward, my reiatsu enhanced foot leaving a crack on the table in the process. The four hollows around me circled the table. The walls around us distorting as Grantz started expanding the room.

"Well then-" I tensed, the hilt of Kyoka Suigetsu rapidly heating up, immediately sheathing the blade in one move. The reiatsu coursing through me increasing in volume, my own surprise at the lack of _any_ fatigue from the action ignored.

I may not have been the best with the spiritual energy, but I could atleast tell if I was _losing_ any. And right now I certainly wasn't.

Not that I was going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

I fixed an idle look on each hollow before me, their expressions wary.

"Who wants to go first?" Was apparently the right thing to say. And while I certainly believed in _fate._

My luck was evidently outrageous. Given the hollow that rose to the challenge was none other then-

Aaroniero snorted, the hollow's metal casing whirling to life. "Stay out of this, he's mine," The espada warned, Nnoitra twitching at the command, the only thing to stop him from reacting been Grimmjow's blue-clad hand.

"Just as well, I'll be the last." Aaroniero took a few steps towards me, a _zanpakuto _flaring to life into his left hand. His right hidden behind his humanoid form-

My eyes widened the slightest as I felt a set of invisible bindings wrap themselves around me, stopping me from moving. Focusing on the espada, I watched as he stopped inches away from the table itself. His sword arm idly swinging, his hidden hand coming out from behind. A bright glow emanating out of it.

"Didn't see that coming... Did you?" Aaroniero rasped, his horrid defilement of a chuckle grating on my ears. My gaze travelled down towards the Espada's cloaked feet. Purple reiatsu pouring out from underneath- Purple sludge? rapidly building up-

I watched, the urge to throw up rapidly making itself known, as Aaroniero's resurrected form came into existence before me. Large purple tendrils formed out of the sludge-like reiatsu, Aaroniero's humanoid form slowly rising into the air as the rest of his body made itself known. Two large red eyes on a massive squid-like face. The set of giant yellow teeth on said squid skin not helping my stomach whatsoever. Ontop of the zeppelin sized purple hollow, was Kaien Shiba's starved form. His eyes closed, arms dangled useless by his side.

_Hmm, he kind of looks like Gaara, pre-physical therapy, now that I think about it..._

I watched, reiatsu enhancing my sight, as the hollow's form started sucking in reiatsu from the air. "Do you see the body at the top, _shinigami!?"_ Blob-san's yellow infested mouth remarked. His spit admittedly causing me to close my eyes for a second.

Aaroniero started laughing, ignoring my lack of an answer entirely.

I watched, almost disinterested, as a few of the purple tendrils, closest to the ground, reached out towards me. My body unresponsive due to the binding still in effect. The tendrils latching onto the sandals on my feet-

"It belonged to one of your own!" Aaroniero's voice once again filled the room.

"And soon enough, you'll join him too!" Good. Kind of counting on _that._

I blinked, my smile unmoving as I calmly raised my hand into a single gesture. Aaroniero's tendrils rapidly increasing their pace, the espada's gleeful expression cracking the slightest. The tendrils, it seemed, were meant to _leech_ one's reiatsu. And unlike my earlier assumption of having a never-ending supply of reiatsu, I could actually _feel_ it working.

Which given I wasn't exactly trying to stop him, wasn't much of a surprise. And with that thought in mind, I locked gazes with Aaroniero's giant red eyes and replied.

"I _know." _I poured into the espada, focusing particularly on the unmoving body, as much reiatsu as I could.

I held in the urge to wince, Aaroniero's smug expression having melted down. The espada either surprised or confused at the fact I wasn't fighting back.

Still, it didn't take long before I felt my reiatsu itself empty out, Aaroniero's voice once again growing into another chuckle.

"Did you really think that would work!? You really think you're the first to try subverting my control!?" Aaroniero exclaimed, his glee returning in full force.

I, on the other hand, simply sighed. Shaking my head in the process before simply reaching down and unsheathing Kyoka Suigetsu. The espada's binding long disabled behind the scenes. Aaroniero's tendrils, currently wrapped, rather snugly at that, just below my knees. The hollow's expression twisting as he watched me raise my zanpakuto.

Fun fact that I'd _just_ learned now, having expected a world of pain otherwise, Groban's hilt-hack didn't work if one doesn't have any reiatsu for it to _burn. _Which thanks to Aaroniero, was rather easy to achieve.

"...Why are you still calm..?" Aaroniero's voice had died down, his bemusement clear. "In a matter of moments you will be naught but a prisoner in my realm!"

I kept the smile on my face, my voice low as I replied. "In a matter of _seconds_ you will cease to exist."

Aaroniero's eyes narrowed, anger filling up his face, his purple skin creasing.

"I've taken your reiatsu! And soon your soul-"

"Exactly," My word froze the espada before me, his eyes momentarily widening. His wrapped tendrils loosening the slightest. The ground under the table shaking at the sudden pressure in the air.

"You've taken_ my_ reiatsu." I pointed my zanpakuto.

"_Reflect_ Kyoka Suigetsu," And promptly sent Aaroniero's soul into Aizen Sosuke's inner realm.

I watched, entirely disinterested, the smile long gone as Aaroniero started screaming. Aizen already working his _magic._

The solution in the end, was admittedly rather simple once one takes in the locale.

-Grantz Inner Realm, on a fundamental level, was an _open_ sandbox. A _programmable_ world so to speak. The reason he could recreate advancements never before seen... The reason he could, theoretically, cut off ones ability to use a _bankai_ was due to that singular fact. And while Shinigami were, more or less, foreign entities to it-

Grantz could cut someone off from their Zanpakuto spirit but not, say, their reiatsu-

Hollow's weren't.

He could, theoretically, modify _any_ hollow any way he wanted.

And Groban thought it was a good idea to imprison me_(Aizen freaking Sosuke!_) here.

All I had to do to get Kaien back, was force Aaroniero to modify _himself_.

I watched, my face as passive as ever, as Aaroniero's screeching halted. The red distant eyes rapidly closing. The hollows body shifting impossibly, the tendrils receding by the second. Grantz inner realm rapidly fixating on Aaroniero's remaining main _personality. _Using it as the foundation for the 'hollow.'

Which meant that yes, while he would have the mannerisms, appearance, memories and downright personality of Kaien Shiba.

He was still, technically, made of hollows.

A_ lot_ of hollows at that.

The previously starved body rapidly started regaining nutrients. Kaien's skin turning a healthier colour by the second. The rest of the purple form sucked in through the shinigami's feet.

Grantz' realm even had the decency to give him a set of shinigami clothing.

The moment the body seemingly calmed down, Kaien's form slumbering. I watched as a crack opened in the space before me. My surprise overtaking me for a second, my gaze lingering on it, the visual of the other side shown was- _Soul Society?_

"Grantz! _Gods' dammit_! What do you think you're doing!?" Taking Groban's _exhausted _irritation as evidence enough, I promptly grabbed _Kaien_'s hollow-made shinigami-looking form and threw him into the crack in space. Kaiens body disappearing within the blink of an eye.

The crack, to my further surprise, lingered quite a bit after the body had supposedly made it through. Eventually disappearing when nothing else was likely to happen. Even the espada around me were completely _still._

Though I still wasn't prepared for Grantz's echoing laughter, every third second, the word '_remix'_ filtering it's way through. _Sincere_ utter joy filling up the realm in the process.

There was something genuinely wrong with this place.

"So," I idly raised my sword again, turning towards the remaining espada. "Whose next?"

Grimmjow, Nnoitra and Zommari looked each other over- A flash of white light encasing each one in turn- before they promptly turned on the spot. Space cracking just behind each of them, the espada not wasting a beat as they jumped through.

...

...

(Ukitake)

"Kyoraku," Jushiro released a sigh, the captain stopping on his feet as he turned to face his long time friend. "We've gone over this," He remarked, the urge to shake his head rising.

The 8th Division captain, pausing on his feet, rolled his eyes. A fish jumping in and out of the pond beside them. The calm wind refreshing to the two captains.

"No we haven't, and Yama-jii hasn't bothered to tell me anything-"

Ukitake released a wistful smile at the name, "_Yama-jii_ is currently indisposed, with the captain of the Zero squad no less."

Shunsui gave him a deadpan look.

"Aizen is currently in Hu_e_co Mundo-" Shunsui restarted his main argument.

Ukitake promptly started walking again, Shunsui not missing a beat as he followed him.

"I am rather certain that single-minded attitude is why Yama-jii left me in charge," Ukitake mused, earning a twitch out of the other captain.

"...All I am saying is, we've got enough captains-"

"Kyoraku..." Ukitake sighed, stopping on his feet once again. The distant sound of fish splashing around reaching them all the same. "The truth is, we're _stretched _thin as it is."

Shunsui, of course, narrowed his eyes. Stopping beside him again.

"We have 13- _11_ captains-"

"Given our guests, two of them are indefinitely indisposed-" He answered, picturing Komamura and Tosen's likely expressions.

"Ok fine-"

"And as you've seen yourself, Yama-jii and by extension the head of the Zero squad are currently indisposed with the ryoka, _Unohana_-taicho included."

Shunsui rubbed the back of his head.

"That alone puts us at a very_ vulnerable_ position."

"... I still think you can afford-"

"And with the lone Espada in the _human world_, currently keeping _two_ captains busy-" His words however only earned an irritated expression out of Shunsui, the man promptly interrupting him without missing a beat.

"That's on Byakuya. Kenpachi I understand, but _his_ insistence on winning that fight without releasing his zanpakuto is on him," Which was, admittedly enough, a fair enough point. This was hardly the time for a show of bravado.

"All the same, it would mean another captain would need be sent, given anyone lower is likely to be crushed by the spiritual pressure alone-" A wince flickered across Shunsui's face. "Which puts us at less then _half_ strength as it is."

"...You said it yourself," Shunsui's shoulders sagged. "It's taking atleast _two_ captains to keep that Espada at bay." Shunsui's eyes locked to his own. "And Aizen's facing _nine_ of them."

Ukitake's mask, for a moment, almost broke. His guilt rapidly surfacing.

"Just the same, even Aizen didn't believe you to be ready-"

"_You _of all shinigami should know that isn't-"

"Kyoraku, you're asking me to send, of six remaining captains, in the _best_ of scenarios-"

"_Three_-" Shunsui actually gave him a number. The action of doing so somehow even more irritating then before.

"...On a _suicide_ mission..."

"...So we just leave him? And hope for the best? Is that your answer?" Oddly enough, the last question seemed the _heaviest_ in his mind. Ukitake took a moment to answer, his body shifting the slightest.

"...No, I am saying we wait until atleast _one_ of our problems clears up-"

"Then atleast let me go deal with one of them myself-"

"You're needed here-"

"Why!?" Shunsui's voice pitched up in volume, his reiatsu flaring, pouring out in waves.

"...A drink perhaps," Ukitake stated, a serious look on his face.

Shunsui took a moment to process the answer, his eyes blinking for a moment before a snort escaped him.

"We owe him... _You_ more then anyone else." Shunsui felt the need to point out.

Ukitake closed his eyes for a moment, his relief at the reaction hidden. "I _know. _And I doubt I'll ever be able to thank him enough for what he's done for my barracks- But you have to understand my position too."

"We don't have the manpower for it-" That was of course the moment the space, above and surrounding the pond from earlier, suddenly crackled. Creasing in on itself. Ukitake and Shunsui didn't miss a beat, flash stepped towards it immediately, Zanpakutos raised-

His eyes widened the sight of a _body_ falling through the temporary short-lived crack. One dressed in a shinigami's garbs. The falling body, narrowly missing the pond, crashed into the nearby tree. Eliciting a loud thud in response. Though Ukitake failed to notice near anything, his widened eyes locked onto _his _former lieutenants.

His shell-socked state went as far as missing the note stuck to his head.

...

"...I am not sure whether to take that as a insult or not..." Shunsui eventually stated, a tired look on his face. His hands shaking as he stared at the former Espada. The recognisable reiatsu a dead giveaway. The only thing freezing him, been the slowly burning note. Whiffs of fire replacing each word, the flames evidently harmless to the Espada?

_Shinigami?_

"_Kaien?_" Ukitake's whisper almost didn't reach his ears.

Shunsui blinked, his mind connecting the odds, he thought he'd seen that face before.

(Do **_not_** execute this one! -Aizen, I heard you were having _trouble _with the Espada, Sosuke)

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget feedback!
> 
> Also yes, the note -Everything between brackets- at the end was an illusion; Aizen pretending to be N!Aizen.


	39. Arc 2 Ch10 (Semi-fin)

He flexed his fingers, the bone cracks, _forced _as they were, causing an involuntary sigh of relief to escape him. His depleted reiatsu _slowly_ refilling. Most of his refill factor been used to keep his ready-for-use Hado and Bakodu(Let's be honest, mostly Hado) collection of demon arts time-locked and hidden in a separate portable dimension. Available with the flick of a finger, the incantations condensed down into second-long casts. Utterly useless if he only had one soul to work with, given leaving his inner realm would mean having to restock on all of them. Direct contact necessary to keep them effective.

Not that he was worried, Ulquiorra's after all was still available. The hollow's reiatsu practically making up most of Huaco Mundo's _atmosphere_.

His gaze set down on the 3d hologram before him. The hologram seemingly generating out thin air, though in truth powered by Huaco Mundo's landlord. Which meant it's visual, that is of everything surrounding his real body, was up to his standards. The ascended reiatsu working better than expected. There was, for the moment, nothing within sight. The rest of the Espada having ran.

_Kaien_, once an esteemed hollow, was currently been led to Unohana Retsu by the two captains he'd been dumped on. His medical issue, of course, been his current lack of memories.

And the fact he was more or less meant to be _dead._

But given the amnesia was _his_ doing, he felt that took precedence.

He was of course getting said information from one of the screens currently orbiting around him. One of _hundreds _at that. Urahara Kisukes been one of the few that never left his visual. The captain currently in one of Sereitei's _many_ jails, thankfully in a different _barrack _from Gin. One of three reiatsu sensors, the batch floating around and out of his way, made to give him an immediate reading of any potential threats, in each realm, quickly started a rhythmic beep. The fact indicating rapidly building reiatsu in _this_ world- And given the idiot in control was idly scratching his head, wondering where the espada went, meant it was the espada's doing.

Shifting his focus back down towards the hologram in the centre, most of the screens taking a backseat for the moment, withdrawing out of view.

_Uh, Aizen? You have any idea what's going on?_

He took a moment to answer, Kyoka Suigetsu speeding up his perception and reflexes, his gaze locking onto the screen that had remained, ones belonging to his current set of adversaries. And from what he could see, it seemed Josh Groban had decided his best option was to attack from another realm. Or, well, another _subset_ of Huaco Mundo.

Don't want to give him too much credit. He wasn't the kind to exaggerate _after all._

_"They,"_ He started, the urge to sigh held in. _"Are currently preparing to fire what looks to be several _Gran Rey Ceros."

And really, just because he wasn't currently in charge, didn't mean they could break his non-existent rules so brazenly.

_...I don't see them-_

"_You need not concern yourself with it,"_ He added on passively.

_... If you say. _The boy shrugged, still aimlessly staring around the empty room.

In the end, it really wasn't much of a worry.

Josh Groban, and his ilk, barring the shark, bat and mad scientist, were currently secluded in a rather dark room- Which likely meant Josh Groban assumed he had visual of them. Probably assuming the boys antics to be a mere act. Of course, despite knowing that, Josh Groban failed to see the fatal flaw in having a group of destructive attacks set off in close quarters.

He watched, almost bored, as the espada fired. The crack in space connecting the two realms, instead of enlarging on Groban's command, suddenly shrunk down. Huaco Mundo immediately shuddering as the might of several enhanced cero's rippled together. The screens showcasing the espada were promptly covered in a brilliant flash of white light.

Groban's angered cry of _everything_ a melody to his ears.

_"Woah-Oof!" _The boy's voice accidentally echoed through his inner realm. The volume grating on his skin. The wince instinctual.

..._So, I take it that was you?_

Aizen didn't dignify that with a response. It certainly wasn't_ Santa Claus._

_Aizen? I was thinking- _Good god have mercy- _Why don't we just use Ulquiorra's reiatsu to make a bankai _now?

...It admittedly wasn't a terrible idea, even on the off chance it meant he'd require some form of hollow reiatsu to use it in the future. And wouldn't that be _fascinating?_ To be able to use his kinds natural enemy against itself in such a manner.

It certainly wouldn't take long, he wasn't necessarily starting from scratch. Rather, he more or less needed to _finalise_ it. And given he didn't expect much utility out of it, he wasn't all to worried at the potential outcome. _Bankais _were reserved for last resorts. And an idea, likely powered by whatever demonic power- _He refused to call it Murphy's law- _running through it, had a better chance of qualifying than most. Besides, if anyone ever pushed him to that point, then he'd likely already lost.

The potential for a time-related bankai was also admittedly hard to pass up. It was, after all, the one sense he had most trouble controlling.

Of course given the thought process running through the idiot currently trying to visualise... _Something,_ he figured the boy was likely to use it at every opportune moment.

Presuming he _actually_ managed to make one.

_"You have an idea?_"

In the end, the main problem wasn't the process, nor the lack of ideas. But rather-

"_Sosuke,_"

Convincing his Zanpakuto to help create it.

Aizen turned his gaze, every screen and sensor disappearing from sight. The realm clearing of any and all colour as his spirit materialised before him.

Kyoka Suigetsu took the form of a hooded child. The only visible features been the strands of it's presumably long black hair. And it's _red_ glinting eyes- And wasn't_ that _fascinating, given he remembered them to be _green_.

"Kyoka," He remarked just as coolly, his expression giving nothing away. His gaze scouring over the distinct lack of any books in his spirits hands. Though the scene was familiar enough, given he'd seen it happen hundreds of times before- Kyoka, if nothing else, at least always made it's displeasure regarding him creating a bankai clear. He hardly expected this to be any different.

_"Brat,"_ He started, Kyoka as silent as usual. The red eyes telling him plenty. _"Kyoka says-"_

"Yes." It wasn't soft, nor high pitched, his zanpakuto's voice, as one would expect of a 'child.' It was rough and almost monotone in delivery. Kyoka Suigetsu was in a child's body yes, but it chose to take the shape of one. Why?

"Yes?" He blinked, entirely caught off-guard, his eyes narrowing. He'd given it hundreds of ideas, hundreds of chances and it takes _his_ first? Though tempted to ask, he realised there were quite likely hundreds of reasons. And given the sheer dislike perusing his spirits eyes, he wasn't sure he wanted to risk pushing it off it's acceptance.

_Oh. Cool. So-_

Perhaps it was because it wasn't his own idea. Perhaps because it involved using never before seen reiatsu, the chance for new discoveries almost endless, creating a one of a _kind_ bankai. Kyoka Suigetsu was after all, a bit of a _bookworm. Perhaps_ it simply liked the idiots idea, the idea currently been hidden from him, by his own spirit no less.

Or it was simply spite.

Regardless, Kyoka had agreed and he'd rather not risk changing it's mind, _yet_\- He watched, fascination building in his eyes as his spirit promptly took up a lotus position, one foot barely touching the ground as the other lifted.

The spirit didn't even bother giving him any reason, instead immediately doing as it pleased.

He watched as the world around them shifted, illusions filling it up in it's entirety, the ground beneath his spirit transforming into waves of water.

Kyoka Suigetsu coloured his inner realm in it's true form. The false moon shining down it's light, focusing around his serenely floating spirit.

His spirit took the form of a child, because that was simply how his spirit _saw him_.

In it's own words, Kyoka believed he was an unlikable being.

Well, he says that, in it's own true words, Kyoka had called itself a reflection of him.

...

...

**"_Hope you enjoyed that!_**" Josh Groban's voice echoed through out the empty room, his snarl almost impressive in it's ferocity. Aizen Sosuke's bemused expression blinked rapidly as he raised his sword back up into a combat-ready stance.

"**It'll be the last**-" He aimed his gun, rapid cero's building and firing within instants. "-**trick you pull!**" He ignored the changing environment, Grantz evidently finally choosing to listen properly, even as Aizen _gawked _carelessly. The walls disappeared, the ground cracking by the second as both of them took to the opening skies. The clear open area giving the bastard before him no room to hide.

The rest of his damn, _useless_, hollows were all hiding away! Even after taking that attack to the face. Even after the bastard before him had presumed to rewrite one of them! Even after humiliating _them_ at every turn!

They chose to hide, Instead of fight!

"Trick?" Aizen's amused smile only earned the bastard _hundreds_ more attacks. If quality failed, then quantity would do. The shinigami flash stepped in and out of existence, steadily approaching his way, no signs of exertion even after having gone through enough reiatsu to likely wind the _Shinigami Captain-Commander himself. _

Grantz was keeping track. The one hollow to purposefully irritate him, happened to be the only one at least feigning an attempt to be of use. Even if he kept himself hidden away with the rest.

"What trick? I closed a door. _You_ blew yourself up."

Josh Groban raised his guns to the sky, a brief burst of reiatsu appearing, _thousends_ of micro blasts shot into the open sky. Aizen blinked, slowly, his own body firmly out of reach as he backstopped, immediately turning his guns back on him, a fresh batch of zeros at the ready. The shinigami of course dodging, horizontally, out of the way- Only for a blast, falling from the sky, to hit him-

Groban did not twitch.

Aizen's body, on contact with the attack, sizzled, shattering into thousands of pieces.

Holding in the urge to sigh, he slowly turned his gaze back down towards the ground. Down towards Aizen, the bastard currently _crouched, _having not moved a single step from his original position. His feet grounded on the sandy ground.

Yet his anger failed to reach him, as at that very moment, he watched as Aizen Sosuke promptly-

"**_Ban-_**" Used something that he _shouldn't_ have had, with reiatsu he most assuredly didn't. "-_**kai!**"_

It was at that very moment, Josh Groban truly realised how unprepared he'd truly been. As the very first thing that happened, having truthfully expected another illusion, took the wind out of his sails.

**Ulquiorra's reiatsu promptly _vanished,_ Huaco Mundo's pillar of power, a near infinite supply of reiatsu had, in one fell swoop, _drained._**

He watched, frozen still, as Huaco Mundo promptly broke down, Ulquiorra's inner realm going into emergency mode-

In as simple terms as possible, the multi-layered world suddenly found itself condensed down to a single one.

Grantz' gate crashed, Harribel's Seaworld reverted and his own private garden _barely_ held. The drain on his reiatsu _tripling_. The skies themselves darkened. hundreds of thousands of hollows rapidly appeared across the quickly expanding realm. +Espada fraction, forest residents and the rest of his minus army showed up. Anger and confusion pouring out of them all. The only two common hollow emotions as they were.

Yet Groban couldn't tear his eyes away from Aizen's smirking face, even as his +Espada appeared at his side, shaken, worse then before. Ulquiorra limp form in Harribel's arms, his unconscious face building terror at the base of his stomach. Her cold mask almost appreciated.

"Oh what did I fucking tell you-" He took in the picture before him, transfixed, Grantz' swearing ignored. The rapidly building heat, the temperature of the sole surface skyrocketing even, shelved.

Surrounding Aizen were fresh corpses from the human realm, corpses cut off at strange points, the majority of them missing their _feet. _One or two missing their _heads_. Something had evidently cut them off, top first.

All of them however, had one thing in common.

They were _vastly_ _out_ of time.

"**+Espada of Las Noches-**" Aizen Sosuke's voice rumbled, perched in the ground as he was. The only creature within miles to do so, everything else in the air. "**Hollows of Huaco Mundo-**" He continued, stretching his hands to the side as he did.

**"_Ladies and gentlemen_, if you turn your gazes up, you'll witness a piece of history-"**

Aizen Sosuke smiled, quite easily the most _honest, _and wasn't that terrifying, smile he'd ever seen as he raised sword to the sky.

Josh groan followed the swords direction, already expecting to see the cause of Ulquiorra's drained reiatsu. What the bat's power had been used to create?_ Recreate?_

_Steal out of time?_

"**Say hello to my_ little_ friend,**" Aizen Sosuke deadpanned, referring to the **_Chicxulub impactor_** heading for the entire population of Huaco Mundo, barring the wolf and midget.

"Well." Groban started, a genuine deadpan expression on his face. "_Shit."_

_..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chicxulub impactor: Killed the dino's.
> 
> I haven't quite picked a name for Aizen's Bankai, it'll be left as blank for now until I can think up one that fits. Any recommendations are welcome!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget feedback!
> 
> Aizen's Bankai (All that'll be revealed for now, any rate): Depending on the reiatsu used, Aizen can perfectly, temporarily, recreate a historic item/event from one of the three realms. Hollow reiatsu = Human Realm. The scale of this use, is only possible because it used Ulquiorra's entire base reserves.


End file.
